Manchester airport was forced to close both its runways because of heavy snow on Saturday morning, and large parts of the UK have been warned to expect severe weather over the weekend. Passengers were told the runways had been temporarily closed and to contact their airlines for the latest information. However, airport managers reopened one runway at 11.30am, allowing a limited number of services to resume, with work continuing to reopen the other. The airport said eight outbound flights had been cancelled so far, while 13 planes due to land at the airport had been diverted, along with three inbound. A spokesperson said earlier: “Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume at the earliest opportunity.” The Met Office said its forecast of temperatures as low as -10C (14F) in isolated areas on Saturday and Sunday could lead to travel disruption, especially going in to Monday morning. Snow is forecast for Scotland and the south-east of England, with a yellow warning in place for much of Scotland until midday on Sunday. The Met Office said some rural communities could be cut off and there was a possibility of power cuts and mobile phone coverage being affected. In Sheffield, energy regulator Ofgem has said it is “extremely concerned” about 200 vulnerable people who are still without gas heating or hot water, as an outage affecting 340 people has gone into its second week. A burst water main sent hundreds of thousands of litres of water into the gas network affecting Stannington, in the west of the city. Snow is forecast for Saturday night. On Saturday, the Met Office extended ice warnings in Northern Ireland, Wales and south-west England to include snow until midday on Sunday. On Sunday, a snow and ice warning begins at 9am for most of London and some of south-east England until 9am on Monday. The Met Office chief meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “It is staying cold with daytime temperatures remaining only a few degrees above freezing in many places over the coming days, and overnight temperatures dropping to -10C or lower in isolated spots. “Although below average, these temperatures are not that unusual for this time of year.” He said there was a risk of freezing fog in some places, particularly southern England, on Sunday and Monday mornings. “There is also a small risk of a band of sleet or snow moving into the far south-east on Sunday. If this happens it could potentially bring some disruption, especially to rush hour on Monday.” The UKHSA is advising people to look out for friends and family who are vulnerable in the cold and to ensure they have access to warm food and drinks, adding that people should maintain indoor temperatures of at least 18C (64F). Dr Agostinho Sousa, a consultant in public health medicine at the UKHSA, said: “Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and older people and those with heart or lung conditions can be particularly at risk. “If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you.” Darren Clark, a severe weather resilience manager at National Highways, said gritters would be out to keep motorways and major A-roads open. The RAC motoring organisation said it had been “exceptionally busy” in recent days, receiving a quarter more breakdown reports than usual for this time of year. More than 3,200 warm banks, run by local authorities and charities to provide warmth for those who cannot afford to heat their homes, are open across the UK, according to the Warm Welcome Campaign. Becca Lyon, the head of child poverty at Save the Children UK, said: “Families should not be in a position where they are agonising over whether to put the heating on in sub-zero temperatures. “Parents have told us they will risk going into debt to keep their children warm.” People on the lowest incomes in hundreds of affected postcode areas in England and Wales are to receive a £25 cold weather payment. The government payments have been triggered for eligible households in areas where the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.