Thousands stuck in their cars overnight after blizzards bring M62 to a standstill

The Metro says Heavy snowfall and strong winds brought highways to a standstill overnight, with ‘hundreds and hundreds’ of motorists stuck in their cars in freezing conditions.

Storm Larisa is set to batter parts of the UK with gales and blizzards again today as this week’s cold snap continues.

The Met Office has issued three amber warnings for northern England, the Midlands, North Wales and Northern Ireland, where ‘significant disruption’ to transport and power supplies is expected.

Four yellow warnings for snow also cover much of the rest of the nation, with the exception of South East England and western Scotland.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the worst of the weather is expected in north-west Wales and northern England, where ‘gusts of easily 50mph’ are on a collision course with ‘30 to 40cm of snow’.