Heavy snow warning issued for most of country as 2025 begins with flooding and strong winds

A three-day heavy snow warning was issued by the Met Office yesterday as thousands of households mopped up after torrential new year rain led to flooded properties, travel chaos and power cuts.

- Mark Brown

Temperatures could plunge to well below freezing at the weekend with up to a foot of snow across England, Wales and Scotland - leading to rural areas being cut off, school closures and road, rail and flight problems, forecasters said.

The warning was issued on what was a miserable start to 2025 for many parts of the UK, including Greater Manchester, where a major incident was declared at noon yesterday because of flooding caused by an overnight downpour.

Mountain rescue teams were deployed to help firefighters deal with people trapped in flooded properties and stranded vehicles.

At flats in a converted mill in Stockport, people could not leave and were without running water and electricity after the car park and first floor were almost totally submerged.

Helen Scott, who lives on the top floor, told the BBC: "Can't get in, can't get out, the fire brigade are here."

But she was stoical, joking: "The fact I've still got a couple of proseccos still in me has taken the edge of this situation. Give me a couple of hours and I think the horror of the start of 2025 is going to sink in."

Greater Manchester police said the worst-affected areas were Bolton, Didsbury, Harpurhey, Stalybridge, Stockport and Wigan. Trains were cancelled, sections of the M56 and M57 were closed, and people were advised to travel only if necessary.