Start of spring heralded by snow

Parts of Staffordshire have kicked off meterological spring with a steady fall of snow.

Gritters were deployed to keep the roads clear, and the A53 was closed between Leek and Buxton but no widespread disruption was reported.

Britain's highest village, Flash, was among those seeing the heaviest falls.

Other places to receive a covering included Leek, Biddulph and Butterton.

Crews from Staffordshire County Council salted the roads overnight, and the authority warned road users to drive according to the conditions.

Last year, heavier snow fell later in March, trapping some motorists.

Several BBC Weather Watchers uploaded pictures of snow near them.

Spring in the northern hemisphere has two start dates: meteorologists define it as the whole of March, April and May, aligning the seasons with calendar months.

Others prefer to judge the seasons astronomically, meaning spring starts at the vernal equinox when day and night are the same length.

That falls on 20 March.

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