West Yorkshire snow: Early closing brings gridlock across county

Flights in and out of Leeds Bradford International Airport were stopped in the morning as the weather forced it to close.

Hundreds of schools shut their doors and motorists were caught in snarled-up traffic as Leeds railway station was overrun with people struggling home at lunchtime.

The weather even forced the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds to close at 3pm.

Leeds Council said all its council-managed sports pitches will be unavailable for use this weekend.

Football and rugby matches played on council-managed and school pitches in Kirklees will also be cancelled at the weekend.

Leeds and Bradford crown courts closed early and museums, including The Royal Armouries in Leeds, began shutting their doors to visitors.

All Bradford Council's museums, libraries and sports facilities also closed.

Rubbish collections stopped in Bradford and Calderdale.

Efforts to clear roads across Bradford were hampered as council gritters became caught up in the traffic chaos.

The Maurice Jagger Centre in Halifax, which supports elderly and disabled people, closed because of the weather.

About 1,000 students who had to be evacuated from their Leeds University student accommodation after a power cut on Tuesday, lasting eight hours, were back in their homes yesterday.