Be ready for more extreme weather, says chief

■ Yorkshire wakes up to find a winter white-out ■ Serious threat of swollen rivers ‘will go on for days’

NORTHERN PARTS of the UK were blanketed in snow yesterday as further serious flooding from swollen rivers is expected to threaten parts of England and Wales for several days, the Environment Agency has warned.

Snow was seen in parts of Yorkshire as well as across Scotland and in parts of Cumbria and Northumberland.

In Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, cars were pictured slowly making their way through the wintry conditions.

Elsewhere, on social media, people were reporting snowy weather in Ripon, Sheffield, Harrogate and Leeds and many shared pictures of snow covering cars and gardens.

Meanwhile, rainfall is expected to continue hitting areas along the rivers Severn, Wye, Ouse and Trent, with severe danger-to-life flood warnings issued for Ironbridge and Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

Some 105 warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 207 alerts, meaning flooding is possible, were also in force across England after a third weekend of downpours that started with Storm Ciara and continued with Storm Dennis.

The torrents are contributing to record river levels and England has endured more than 141 per cent of its average February rainfall so far, said the EA.

It warned the country needed to brace itself for “more frequent periods of extreme weather like this” because of climate change.

The Met Office has forecast a week of widespread showery

weather, while a warning for ice covering Scotland, Northern Ireland and much of northern England remains in force until 10am today.

Caroline Douglass, director of incident management at the EA, said: “We have seen our third weekend of exceptional river levels and stormy weather. With the effects of climate change, we need to prepare for more frequent periods of extreme weather like this.

“People need to be aware of their flood risk, sign up to flood warnings, make a flood plan and not to drive or walk through flood water.”

The EA said 1,000 staff a day had worked to operate flood defences and clear debris since Storm Dennis swept into the UK.

PICTURES: PA WIRE/JONATHAN GAWTHORPE/ BRUCE ROLLINSON WINTER WONDERLAND: Clockwise from top, sheep and lambs running in the snow on a farm in Bainbridge in North Yorkshire after the morning’s snowfall yesterday; Crocuses in the snow at Roundhay Park, Leeds; Walkers at the famous Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley; A JCB busy clearing heavy snowfall from Cliff Gate Road near Thwaite, in the Yorkshire Dales.