A LEVEL 3 cold weather alert has been issued by the Met Office.

There is a 90 per cent probability of severe cold weather, icy conditions and heavy snow from today until Tuesday in parts of England including the north west.

This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.

A statement on the Met Office website reads: “A cold front will clear southeastwards during Wednesday introducing cold conditions across England for the next few days.

“Snow showers will affect most areas at times through the rest of this week and over the weekend with locally significant accumulations in places, particularly for hilly areas in the north.

“Showers and overnight frosts also bring the risk of icy stretches forming on untreated surfaces.

“Strong winds will accentuate the cold feel at times although it is likely to prevent any extremely low overnight minimum temperatures. At this stage the cold weather looks like it will persist until at least the early part of next week.”

The alert comes with a yellow warning for snow in Greater Manchester as showers of snow from Scotland extend to parts of northern England and Wales by Wednesday evening, then continue overnight and into Thursday.

More than five centremetres of snow on lower levels with more than 15 cm possible over higher ground.

The public should be aware of the potential for disruption to travel.