Weather: Man Dies In Snow Trying To Get Home

A young man died in a "very tragic incident" after trying to get home in the snow in Burnley after a night out with friends.

The man's body was discovered in deep snow by a farmer yesterday afternoon but emergency services struggled to get to the area because of the weather conditions.

Chief Inspector Derry Crorken, of Burnley Police, said: "Early indications suggest that it appears to be a very tragic incident where a young man has been out with friends and has become caught up in the weather last night on his journey home.

"The snow and ice has been severe in the area with many roads not passable. I would urge people to take precautions and only go out if it is necessary and if you do go out then make sure friends and family know where you are and that you have suitable clothing on and your phone with you."

His death is the second tragedy in the recent spell of bad weather. On Friday police in Looe, Cornwall, found a body in a block of flats that had been flattened by a landslide thought to have been triggered by torrential rain.

Heavy snowfall has brought disruption to many parts of the UK, with roads closed, flights delayed, rail services cancelled and sports events called off.

Power lines were brought down, leaving tens of thousands of homes in Northern Ireland without electricity, while 18,000 properties in Scotland and hundreds more in areas of northern England also had no power.

In some areas police reported snow drifts up to 20ft (6m) while the British Red Cross were called on to ferry medical staff, paramedics and even patients to hospital using 4x4s.

The snowy conditions extended south, hitting areas around London and Kent, where forecasters said there could be 2cm-5cm (1-2ins) of the white stuff on higher ground.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning on Saturday for the public to be aware of adverse weather conditions as a slow-moving band of rain, sleet and snow made its way across many central and northern parts, and the south and east.

In North Wales the British Red Cross ferried hospital staff, paramedics and renal patients to hospitals using 4x4 vehicles.

David Hallows, service manager for emergency response for the Red Cross in North Wales, said: "I've never seen snow like it. It's a metre thick in places and it's not drifting.

"I just can't believe it. It's great to know that our 4x4 capability can be of such vital use to medical staff in getting them through these tough weather conditions to patients, many of whom are seriously ill."

Airports were forced to shut their runways, and road closures hit motorists. The AA has warned drivers that even short journeys may be difficult.

The snow is set to slowly die out  and forecasters say most places will have a cold, dry day with cold easterly winds.

About 70 people stranded in their cars in Cumbria overnight were put up in a local high school. Police said that snow was drifting up to 20ft (6m) and they had had 1,500 calls asking for help.

In Northern Ireland, 6ft (1.8m) snow drifts left emergency crews struggling to get through but electricity was restored to 17,000 homes on Saturday.

However, about 18,000 customers were still cut off and teams were out again from first light to continue with network repairs, Northern Ireland Electricity said. They were using helicopters to try to identify the power lines affected.

In Scotland, ScottishPower said it was working hard to restore powers to all its affected homes.

Electricity North West was trying to restore power to parts of Cumbria, with 284 customers still without electricity, as engineers were unable to reach them due to road closures.

Leeds Bradford Airport said flights were not currently operating due to the adverse weather conditions. There was also disruption at East Midlands Airport.

Among the problems reported on the railways was disruption on First Transpennine Express services between Huddersfield and Manchester, and no Northern Rail services between Skipton and Carlisle.

The bad weather also hit the sporting programme, with racing at Doncaster and Newbury called off and some football league games in England and Scotland postponed.

Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier against Russia fell foul of the weather for the second time in 24 hours, with hostile conditions rendering Windsor Park unplayable.

The Group F clash was initially due to take place on Friday night but heavy snow and plummeting temperatures in Belfast saw the fixture postponed after three inspections by Norwegian referee Tom Hagen and the FIFA delegation.

The South West, which was hit by heavy rain and floods on Friday, had a dry day. Bylate evening the Environment Agency had only 63 flood alerts in place, those mainly for the South East.

It is expected to be the coldest March since 1962 when the average temperature was 2.8C (37F).