Drivers warned to avoid M62 due to heavy snow forecast

When Beast from the East hit last, the M62 was closed overnight, trapping drivers for more than 13 hours.

A Leeds grandmother was among the thousands of motorists caught up in winter weather chaos on the M62.

Diane Crotty, 59, was forced to sleep in her van at a service station after freezing temperatures, snow and high winds closed part of the M62 between junctions 21 and 24.Highways England has warned drivers to avoid the Pennine stretch of the M62 this weekend following warnings of heavy snow.

The return of the 'Beast from the East' is forecast to bring extreme winds and heavy snow to Leeds and Yorkshire.

The Met Office has put out an upgraded amber alert for snow and ice, and motorists are advised to avoid trans-Pennine routs and parts of the M62.