The heavy snowfall has caused problems with flights to the UK and to the continent, with Ryanair forced to delay or redirect a number of its Malta flights due to snow at a number of airports.

Both Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport and Leeds Bradford International in Yorkshire closed on Friday night while their runways were cleared of snow.

A spokeswoman for Malta International Airport said that Ryanair’s Liverpool flight on Friday was delayed for 30 minutes and then diverted to Manchester airport following the temporary closure of the Liverpool airport.

The return flight was scheduled to land at 10.55pm but left much later, arriving in Malta at 4am.

Ryanair’s flight to Eindhoven in the Netherlands yesterday was diverted to Maastricht as it was unable to land due to snow. The return flight to Malta was also delayed by some four hours.

Airports are urging passengers to constantly check for any updates in the flight schedule and to ensure they leave plenty of travel time to the airport.

Heavy snow and icy temperatures are causing major travel problems across the UK, with reports of bus passengers and drivers stranded in some areas.

Sleet and snow have mainly hit the north of England, the Midlands and Scotland, with the UK Met. Office warning yesterday that nearly all of Britain had been gripped by ice.

The cold snap comes as a low-pressure system tracks from the Atlantic over central and southern England, bringing with it a period of sleet and snow.

Malta is also expected to experience a drop in temperatures below the December average in the coming days. A spokesman from the Met. Office said that temperatures are expected to drop to 6°C by New Year’s Eve while strong winds are also expected to exacerbate the chilly air.

A low pressure system is intensifying over the Gulf of Genoa and is moving over the Adriatic Sea. It is expected to cross the central Mediterranean later today.

The wind will reach gale force and showers and rain are expected throughout the next three days.