Heavy snow briefly closes runways at Britain's Manchester Airport

LONDON: Heavy snowfall forced Manchester Airport in northern England to close both its runways temporarily on Thursday as Britain's weather service issued warnings of further snow and ice.

The airport said at around 6:20am (0620 GMT) that the runways were closed before announcing about two-and-a-half hours later that operations had resumed. It told passengers to contact airlines about their flights.

Britain's Met Office forecast "wintry showers bringing further disruption" from ice and snow across parts of Northern Ireland, Wales, northwest England and southwest Scotland.

The Met Office issued a weather warning to alert the public that some roads and railways could be affected with expected "longer journey times by road, bus and train services."

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a "Level 3 Cold Weather Alert," warning that the cold snap could disrupt the delivery of services and "increase the health risks to vulnerable patients."