White Easter for millions as Britain suffers worst seasonal weather in 25 years

Drivers were told to avoid going out as heavy snow overnight brought widespread travel disruption, with one police force describing the conditions as "horrendous".

North-east England, Yorkshire and Staffordshire were the hardest hit by the weather which would be more in keeping with the Christmas break than Easter.

The North West Ambulance Service have also been hit hard by the storms with two of its ambulances trapped in heavy snow in Cumbria.

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Communications manager Andrew Kirchin said: "We've not stopped working. At 6am we put that warning out, and it was simply because that's the time that people start to get up, we get an increase in calls, and we were just saying please only ring if it's an emergency."

Elsewhere snow has caused difficulties for ambulances in the south of Cumbria, east Lancashire and north Manchester.

Mr Kirchin said: "In Manchester the roads became so treacherous that we had to send the Rapid Response Vehicles back to the station because the roads froze over."

Bitter gales, sleet and snow have already whipped much of Britain in the start to the holiday.

But now the weather has closed in still further, bringing significant problems for those hoping to return home today and tomorrow.

Snow ploughs and gritters were sent out but they too found the conditions difficult and struggling to stay on the roads.

Even London was affected after lighter snow showers during the early hours gave way to full-blown blizzards by mid-morning.

Met Office forecaster Chris Almond: "There is no sign of spring out there, to be honest."

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A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said he had driven just six miles into work this morning and that conditions were "the worst I can remember for a long time."

He said: "There is plenty of snow and the major problem is with the roads. It is horrendous. The snow came down suddenly. Our advice is only drive if you really must.

"It is very icy and very cold. We have had no major incidents, just minor bumps but it is not very nice out there."

Durham Police said there had been heavy overnight snow across the whole of the county, particularly in the south. The force has had to close the A66 trans-Pennine route for the second night running due to heavy snow.

In Staffordshire, people are also being told not to travel because of the snow and freezing temperatures. The north close to the border with Derbyshire and areas around Leek and Cheadle were the worst affected.

Sergeant Geoffrey Knight said: "We are warning motorists not to travel in the Moorlands area. Snow is falling very heavily and drifting in the area and on high ground.

"If you are travelling, take warm clothing and drive with extreme care."

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Laura Gilchrist, of Meteogroup, said the snow would only settle briefly in most areas before disappearing later in the day as temperatures rose but also predicted the cold snap would continue for much of the week.

"It will be a bit brighter later this afternoon, but we think it will be cold for most of the week. It might get a bit milder towards the end of the week," she said.

The Easter weekend has been the worst in terms of weather for a quarter of a century, with high winds lashing much of the country on Friday while temperatures plummeted.

Parts of Scotland, North-East England and the Midlands woke up to a blanket of snow yesterday, delighting children who had the unexpected opportunity to dig out their sledges.

They will be set for more winter fun today as far more of the country sees snow falls, and several inches settling on the ground.

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While the snow may make this Easter magical for some, it has ruined the long weekend for others.

Three holiday climbers made a lucky escape however after they were rescued in heavy snow from Scafell Pike in The Lake District, England's highest mountain.

Inspector Barry Bell from Cumbria Police said: "We got information from one of the parties at just after 4.05am saying they've come a little way down but cannot navigate the rest of the way down because the weather conditions were deteriorating.

"We contacted Wasdale Mountain Rescue just after 4.10am. Eventually three persons were brought down safe and well."

A spokesman for Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team said 11 rescuers took part in the operation.

It is believed the trio people rescued were attempting to complete the "three peaks challenge", by climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales in a short period, often 24 hours.

Motorists are also facing a bleak picture, with the snow exacerbating already high levels of traffic for the four-day holiday.

A multi-vehicle accident caused major congestion on the southbound M6, near Sandbach, Cheshire, yesterday.

One vehicle crossed over to the northbound carriageway, causing a further crash. Both carriageways were closed.

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Traffic levels are likely to rise again tomorrow as people head back home after the long weekend.

On the trains, engineering works are set to continue on the East and West Coast rail lines, affecting services between the North, Midlands and London.

But Network Rail chief Iain Coucher has pledged there will be no repeat of the fiasco at New Year when works overran.

Meanwhile, air travel continued without major disruptions in spite of warnings of bad weather.

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The chances of snow at Easter were increased this year because Easter Sunday falls on the earliest date for nearly a century – just two days after the official start of spring.

Records show April 1-3, 1983, was the snowiest Easter, when Scotland, the Midlands and Kent had up to four inches.