Manchester and Merseyside derbies expected to go ahead as Old Trafford and Anfield avoid worst of snow

  • Little snow in Manchester or Liverpool as derbies expected to go ahead
  • As much as 11 inches of snow has fallen in parts of UK but north west avoid worst
  • Flights are suspended at Birmingham Airport while the runway is cleared 

The adverse winter weather conditions affecting large parts of England do not look to have put paid to Sunday's pair of north west derbies.

With little snow on the ground in Manchester on Sunday morning the derby clash between Man United and Man City is expected to go ahead. The Amber weather warning for Greater Manchester was downgraded to Yellow, despite a heavy flurry of unexpected snow, on Saturday night.

On Sunday morning there was snow falling in Liverpool but not enough to see the first Merseyside derby of the season called off. 

With little snow in Manchester on Sunday morning the derby clash is expected to go ahead

With little snow in Manchester on Sunday morning the derby clash is expected to go ahead

A postman wearing shorts delivers mail in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, on Saturday

A postman wearing shorts delivers mail in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, on Saturday

Arsenal Ladies Women's Super League clash with Liverpool Ladies was called off on Sunday

Arsenal Ladies Women's Super League clash with Liverpool Ladies was called off on Sunday

Liverpool tweeted out a reminder to their fans to take extra care when travelling to Anfield for the 2.15pm kick off. The Reds and fellow Sunday derby hosts United both released 'important information' ahead of the games advising supporters to plan journeys carefully and to follow local weather updates.


Fans travelling from the south to Liverpool and London will be contending with heavy snowfall across the midlands. At 11am on Sunday there were delays reported on the M40, M6 and and M5. Fans travelling from London by train were left waiting on the concourses at Euston as the lines were hit by delays caused by snow.

Manchester and Liverpool appears to have avoided the severe weather forecast for a swathe of north Wales and central England.  

Snow has settled on parts of Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire at a rate of more than one inch an hour. Flights have been suspended at Birmingham Airport while the runway is cleared, leaving passengers facing delays, while a north-bound section of the M1 has been closed in Leicestershire due to numerous vehicles being stranded.

A lorry pushes the snow aside along in Birmingham, after heavy snow on Sunday morning

A lorry pushes the snow aside along in Birmingham, after heavy snow on Sunday morning

Amber weather warnings are in place across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of western England as icy conditions plunged roads into chaos, with temperatures of -11C making it the coldest night of 2017.

Significant snow has also fallen in London and parts of the south east, as well Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Bedfordshire, while Sennybridge in Powys, Wales has experienced a snow depth of 11 inches.

Arsenal fans seem to be most affected by the snowfall on Sunday. Arsenal Ladies Women's Super League fixture with Liverpool Ladies was called off with Meadow Park covered in snow.

Fans travelling to Southampton from north London have seen journeys disrupted by icy roads. 

BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey revealed the impact of the weather on their broadcast of the Premier Leaggue clash at St Mary's. 

He tweeted: 'Apart from Martin Keown who can't get off the M40, Owen Hargreaves who is stuck on the M25, Graham Poll who is snowed in at home, and no Sheree the make-up artist who has football poisoning...we're all at Southampton and ready for 11am on air'.

With the heavy snowfall in north London, Saracens Champions Cup meeting with Clermont at Allianz Park has been called off. Chelsea's WSL meeting with Manchester City also fell foul of the weather.

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