Heavy snowstorms which left drivers stranded for hours on motorways in the north of England are expected to turn to rain on Saturday, raising fears of flooding.
The M6 motorway came to a standstill overnight in both directions between junctions 25 and 27 in Lancashire after a sudden fall of more than a foot of snow around 8.30pm, the Highways Agency said.
Many vehicles became stuck along the stretch of motorway between Wigan and Standish after struggling to make it up inclines in the treacherous conditions, while a number of accidents involving jack-knifed lorries blocked lanes.
Traffic on the M6, as well as the M56 and M58 which were also blocked, was moving again but remained heavily congested with long tailbacks, Lancashire police said.
Chief Inspector Mike Adamson said: "We realised at about 11pm last night that this was going to be a major incident. Some of the drivers and passengers have been stuck for hours – it has been a very difficult night for them.
"We have set up a command centre at Charnock Services, where officers have collected hot drinks and taken them to those who are stuck."
Lancashire police worked with Lancashire mountain rescue teams, the Highways Agency and Greater Manchester police to clear roads and provide welfare assistance to those who were stranded. The Highway Agency worked through the night to clear the routes with snow ploughs.
A spokesman for the agency urged those who had abandoned their cars to return to them as soon as possible. He said: "The snowfall was very sudden and very heavy – over a foot in some places – causing cars to become stranded. But we have managed to get through the traffic and clear most routes to get people moving again."
With rain falling and snow melting on to cold road surfaces, the agency is warning drivers to beware of ice.
Kevin Collister, who was stuck on the motorway just past the M58 junction heading northbound, told Sky News overnight: "There is absolutely no movement whatsoever on my side of the carriageway, all the snow is squashed down into ice and there are wagons trying to move and sliding sideways.
"It's an absolute nightmare, we've been here for three hours so far. A few people are saying we might be here for the night but we're just hoping we can get through."
The country is now braced for flooding as heavy rain moves in and rising temperatures cause a rapid thaw of the snow and ice that has built up over the last two weeks.
Chris Burton, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said temperatures could rise to around 8C on Saturday before reaching more than 10C in the south on Sunday, followed by wet and windy weather next week.
He said: "Heavy rain will fall across most parts of Britain tonight and into tomorrow morning. The worst affected areas will be the west of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which will see up to an inch of rain overnight. Combined with rapid melting snow it brings a risk of localised flooding."
The Met Office currently has ice warnings in place across the UK, except for south-west England and Wales.
The Environment Agency warned of a risk of surface water and river flooding this weekend across England and Wales, particularly in the Midlands and north-east England.
Several centimetres of snow covered north-east England and Yorkshire overnight but many lower-lying areas were reporting that a thaw was already under way on Saturday morning.
All flights were suspended at Leeds Bradford International airport on Saturday morning as fresh snow covered most of the Yorkshire region. A message on the airport's website advised passengers to contact their airline or tour operator before travelling.
North Yorkshire police said some main roads were blocked by snow and abandoned vehicles, including the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton and the B6265 at Rylstone.
The death toll during the recent cold snap, which is in double figures, is thought to have risen further as it was feared a man in his 30s or 40s may have frozen to death after going missing in woodland.
His body was found on Thursday night after four friends told Newmarket police in Suffolk that he had not been seen for four days. The men had been searching for him and found him dead in a wooded area.
The death is being treated as unexplained but one theory is he died in the freezing temperatures.
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