MAJOR routes have been blocked this morning as heavy snowfall hits the North York Moors and Yorkshire Coast.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted that the A171 from Scarborough to Whitby was completely blocked by snow and stranded vehicles, and many roads around Whitby were also affected.

It said the A169 from Pickering to Whitby was also impassable due to the weather.

Webcam footage from the county council has shown a motorist battling to get up Blue Bank on the A169 near Whitby, using a spade to help dig his way up the hill.

This county council webcam image, taken at 8.53am, also shows difficult driving conditions at Blue Bank on the A169 Pickering to Whitby route as snow falls. 

BBC Weather, in association with MeteoGroup, says towns such as Malton and Pickering are set to experience light snow showers this morning, carried across the moors on bitterly cold northerly winds.

The showers are expected to be more frequent and possibly heavier on the moors.

A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for these areas by the Met Office.

But the forecasters think York is a little too far west to get any snow showers and should instead get lots of sunshine today, albeit with maximum temperatures of only 1C.

The weather is expected to turn milder over the weekend, but there could be a little snow in York early on Sunday before it turns to sleet and then rain.