Heavy snow brings widespread disruption across the UK and Germany

LONDON (AP) — Heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particularly in the U.K. and Germany, with several major airports forced to suspend flights.

With the weather set to stay inclement on Sunday in the U.K., there are concerns that many rural communities, particularly in the north of England, could be cut off, with up to 40 centimeters (15 inches) of snow on the ground above 300 meters (985 feet).

The National Grid, which oversees the country's electricity network, said it had been working to restore power. Outages were reported in the English cities of Birmingham and Bristol and in Cardiff, Wales.

Many sporting events have been postponed, though the heavyweight Premier League fixture between rivals Liverpool and Manchester United is on, following an inspection at Liverpool's Anfield stadium and of local conditions.

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport had to close runways overnight, but were returning back to normal on Sunday. Leeds Bradford Airport took longer to get flights back in the air.

The road network was heavily impacted too on what would have been a very busy day with many families returning home from the Christmas and New Year's break, and students heading back to universities.

Many roads had been preemptively closed by local authorities, but stranded vehicles and collisions have caused disruption elsewhere.

A number of U.K. train services were canceled, with National Rail warning of disruption continuing into the working week.

Britain's main weather forecaster, the Met Office, says sleet and snow will continue to push north on Sunday and will be heaviest in northern England and into southern Scotland. After experiencing freezing rain, which occurs when super-cold rain freezes on impact, the south will turn milder. The Environment Agency has also issued eight flood warnings across southern England on the Taw and Avon rivers.

Snow and ice were also causing havoc in Germany, where a bout of wintry weather is spreading from the southwest. Authorities have issued black ice warnings for drivers and pedestrians, advising people to stay home where possible.

Frankfurt airport canceled 120 of its 1,090 planned takeoffs and landings on Sunday, according to the Fraport press office. At Munich airport, only one runway was open while the other one was being cleared.

In Baden-Wuerttemberg, eight people were injured when a bus skidded off the road near the town of Hemmingen. Long-distance train connections also experienced irregularities in the Frankfurt area.

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Monika Scislowska reported from Warsaw, Poland.