Snow causes travel havoc in northern England

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom - Heavy snowfall forced Britain's Manchester Airport to suspend flights and shut down roads and train lines across northern and western England on Thursday, with weather officials issuing an amber "be prepared" warning.

Dozens of schools in the northern English region of Cumbria and in Northern Ireland were shut, bus services in the English city of Sheffield were hit and mobile phone operator EE said there was a loss of coverage in affected areas.

"We have currently suspended all departures and arrivals for a short period of time, whilst we are in the process of clearing both runways," Manchester Airport tweeted.

Prime Minister David Cameron urged Britons to heed weather alerts and said he had requested an update from the government on "heavy snow contingency plans" as the wintry blast is expected to continue.