Birmingham Airport, East Midlands and Cardiff SUSPEND all flights as blizzard hits UK

Heavy snow has closed the runways at Birmingham Airport and East Midlands Airport, between Derby and Leicester.

Both airports have advised all passengers to check with their airline before leaving.

Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport have not cancelled any flights but said they are subject to long delays.

Luton Airport and Cardiff Airport has also warned customers to be prepared for delays or cancellations.

Manchester Airport has cancelled flights to and from Amsterdam.

And Edingburh Airport has cancelled all flights to Heathrow.

Birmingham Airport tweeted: "Flights are temporarily suspended at #bhx to clear the runway following heavy snowfall. Please check our website for updates or contact your airline for further information."

It added that staff were currently working to clear the runway of snow.

A spokesman for the airport added that they would update passengers when they had any new information.

East Midlands Airport tweeted: "The current snowfall has caused disruption to airport operations.

"The runway has been temp closed until midday when a further inspection will take place.

"A number of outbound and inbound flights have been delayed.

"Please check with your airline before travelling to the airport."

Flights to Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife and Limoges are among those affected.

Planes coming in from Guernsey and Glasgow have also been delayed.

The army has been put on standby as a “snowbomb” of sudden blizzards and gale force winds causes widespread disruption across Britain.

Parts of Scotland are without power after 90mph winds and heavy snow knocked out the grid, closed schools and halted trains.

Blackouts are expected to spread to England and Wales today and tomorrow and Heathrow and Gatwick Airports face closure as up to 8ins of snow falls.

There are fears the worst snow storm to hit in five years could also mean the two Premier League derby games will be cancelled.

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Rail firms have said they are running empty “ghost trans” at night to clear the snow and ice.

Heathrow has 500 snow-clearing staff and 185 snowploughs on duty and Gatwick has 98 snow-ploughs and blowers ready.

A Level 3 Government cold weather health warning told hospitals they will be busier than normal and ordered health staff to make daily visits or phone calls to the vulnerable.

The Met Office has predicted that heavy snowfall could hit the UK for the next 10 days.

Highways England has asked drivers to prepare for "any eventuality", making sure to have warm clothing, food, drink, required medications, boots, a shovel and a torch if venturing out.

Heavy snow is expected to fall over the Midlands and Wales.

London and the rest of southern England will instead be lashed by strong winds and rain, where gusts could reach 70mph, according to the Met Office.

An amber warning of snow has come into force, affecting Wales, the Midlands and parts of northern and eastern England.

The Met Office said: "Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations.

"There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off."