Bank holiday motorists urged to take care as snow arrives

Public transport and roads could be affected today as heavy rain and snow are expected to hit parts of the UK.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow across parts of Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire.

Meteorologists say the snowfall is likely to turn to rain in low-lying areas, and are advising people travelling on Bank Holiday Monday to take care.

They expect spray and flooding on some roads will make journey times longer, while bus and train services may also be affected.

The worst of the snow is expected to affect higher ground, with the chance of some travel delays on the roads and some stranded vehicles and passengers.

The Met Office is also warning of a small chance some rural communities could be cut off, and that power cuts may also occur.

But Helen Roberts, a meteorologist with the Met Office, says it will not be as bad as the Beast from the East:

"This one is a sort of mix of rain and snow, whereas previously the air was so cold that everything was just falling as snow. We could see a bit of sleet falling in lower areas especially during heavier bursts. Predominantly above 300m or so is where we're expecting the snow to stick and for accumulations to really build."

Temperatures are expected to stay in the low figures, not dropping below freezing as was the case in March.

"It isn't going to be anywhere near as cold. Those were different situations where we had cold easterly winds for a long time and temperatures were really struggling to get above freezing. This is different, temperatures will be low single figures but generally in the single figures by day and just dipping below by night."