AN amber weather warning covering parts of Somerset has been issued as heavy snow is forecast this evening (January 8).

The Met Office warned a “spell of snow will result in travel disruption on Wednesday afternoon and evening”, with the advisory in place until 9pm tonight.

Somerset towns covered by the warning include Wellington, Wiveliscombe and Taunton, while in Dorset, the amber zone reaches Beaminster and the area north of Dorchester.

Forecasters warned that, due to snow, Somerset and Dorset could expect:

• Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers
• Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
• There is a chance that some rural communities could become cut off
• Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely

“Sleet and snow is expected to continue this afternoon and evening with accumulations of 2cm to 5cm on high ground above 150m, and up to 10cm above about 250m, leading to some travel disruption,” a forecaster said.

“The sleet and snow will ease from the west during the first part of Wednesday night.”

People are warned not to drive unless necessary.

An amber weather warning is a step up from yellow, which was previously issued by the Met Office for much of Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.