Heavy snow is falling across Britain on Sunday as early signs of spring are swept away by winter weather.

In capital London, people wake up to a white world with big snow flakes still slanting onto the ground. Overnight snow started falling in the North East, Manchester and north Wales and headed down towards the Midlands in the early hours, the Sky news reported.

Forecasters said the snow was settling in places but it is not expected to cause problems on the transport network.

Nonetheless, the Met Office has issued a number of flash warnings of severe or extreme weather. It warns there is at least an 80 percent chance of heavy snow and widespread icy roads across Northern Ireland, north Wales and northwest England as well as a strong possibility of heavy snow in the West Midlands, southwest England and London and the South East.

Temperatures dropped significantly after a warm week that saw the hottest day of the year on Thursday, with some areas reporting a temperature of 18 degrees centigrade.

March and April are known for its changeable weather in Britain. This year, London has seen two snowfalls since March when a white Easter befell the country.

(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2008)