Met Office issue rare amber snow alert for northern England as people urged 'not to drive'

An amber weather warning for snow has been issued as the North West braces itself for the arrival of Storm Bert.

The Met Office has warned that the storm, the second named one of the season, will bring a spell of heavy snow on Saturday morning.

The rare amber weather warning covers a large part of the north of England, including parts of Lancashire, North Yorkshire and Cumbria, and is in place from 7am until 12pm tomorrow. Heavy snow could lead to some disruption including travel delays and power cuts, forecasters have warned.

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People have been advised not to drive in the treacherous conditions and to consider alternative forms of transport if a journey is "essential".

Northern Ireland is expected to feel the impact of the storm first, with rain, snow and gales hitting at around 3am. The storm will then move across the UK bringing heavy rain and snow to parts of Scotland and northern England.

By lunchtime, the snow will start to turn to rain and gales will be widespread across much of the country.

According to the Met Office, Manchester will start to feel the impact of Storm Bert with some heavy rain between 4am and 5am. Strong gusts of wind will arrive in the region between 6am and 7am and last throughout the day and into Sunday.

As for snow, the Met Office told the Manchester Evening News that showers will likely be over higher ground and it is unlikely to stick around for long.

A spokesperson said: "Snow is expected over higher ground to the north and will be quickly replaced by rain. It will feel much warmer through the weekend, with milder air being dragged across the UK by Storm Bert."

A yellow weather warning for rain and