Wild and wintry weather has swept the UK and stranded travellers with heavy snow covering roads and forcing two airports to close.

Many motorists simply abandoned their vehicles as drivers became stuck in Sheffield.
One driver tweeted he had been in a queue for more than four hours.

Motorists have been advised to check before travelling and, in some parts, avoid journeys unless essential.

People travelling from Sheffield to London had to take refuge in a church after their coach became stuck in the snow before leaving the south Yorkshire city, passenger Chloe McIntosh told the BBC.

"Some people from the houses nearby have come and offered us tea. Then they opened up the church."

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport and Leeds Bradford International closed while runways were cleared of snow as a band of wet weather crossed the country from Merseyside and north Wales through the Midlands and Yorkshire.

Leek, near the Peak District in Staffordshire, had the worst of the snow with 10cm, the Met Office said, with Cranwell in Lincolnshire also recording 7cm.

Four flights into Liverpool from Malta, Berlin and Bucharest were diverted to Manchester Airport, while a fifth from the Isle of Man returned as the Merseyside hub was closed for more than an hour while its runway was cleared.

Police warned of hazardous conditions on Friday night, especially in Staffordshire and Cheshire, with several roads made impassable.

Snow had been predicted to fall in parts of north Wales, the North West and the Midlands, with a Met Office Level Three amber cold weather alert in place and a yellow warning of snow across a large swathe of the UK.

The Pennines and Peak District also had plenty of snow.

The snow played havoc with some Friday football matches, including in the West Midlands as West Bromwich Albion lost 3-1 to Manchester City in blizzard conditions.

The Met Office had earlier said there was a 90 per cent chance of severe cold, ice or snow in parts of England until New Year's Eve.

An area including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia, the North West, Yorkshire and as far south east as London and Kent is on a separate yellow alert for snow.

Christmas night was the coldest night of the year so far, with minus 8.5C recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

Temperatures could also drop as low as minus 10C in some places at the start of next week as cloud and wet weather give way to clearer skies.