The Met Office has issued a new rare amber warning of “heavy snow” for many parts of the country as brutal weather conditions are likely to cause major disruptions.

The warning which comes into place from 7am on Saturday, November 23 until 12pm which alerts of the possibility of heavy snowfall to the north eastern areas of the country.

At present, there are seven yellow warnings and two amber warning in place for Saturday. The severe weather alert is likely to cause travel delays on roads with a possibility of stranding some vehicles and passengers

Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected, say the Met Office.

The forecaster stated: “Heavy snow will spread northeastwards on Saturday morning giving significant accumulations, especially on hills.

“Temporary accumulations of 5-10 cm are possible in the Vale of York, with 10-20 cm on ground typically above 200m, and potentially as much as 20-30 cm on hills above 400m.

“Snow will eventually change to rain in all areas by Saturday afternoon, but may be preceded by a short spell of freezing rain in places adding to the ice risk.

“Strengthening winds will lead to drifting of lying snow, with difficult travelling conditions likely on higher level routes, and the risk of interruptions to power supplies.

“A fairly rapid thaw of lying snow is then likely later on Saturday and overnight as milder air moves in.”

Regions and local authorities affected:

North East England

• Darlington
• Durham
• Northumberland

North West England

• Cumbria
• Lancashire

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway
• Scottish Borders

Strathclyde

• East Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire

Yorkshire & Humber

• North Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire