SOUTH Lakeland, Furness and North Lancashire are likely to see heavy snow on Friday, Met Office experts have said.

After largely escaping snowfall which brought parts of the country to a standstill last week, forecasters have issued an 'amber alert' for parts of south and east Cumbria, the Dales and areas of North Lancashire.

The amber alert means between 4cm-8cm of snow is possible widely at low levels, and maybe as much as 10cm - particularly in the afternoon.

Other parts of Cumbria are on a lesser 'yellow alert', and are expected to see between 2cm-5cm.

High ground in northern England could be blanketed with up to 20cm.

According to the Met Office forecast issued today (Thursday), heavy snow will fall in major towns including Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Ulverston, Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh, Carnforth, Appleby and surrounding villages.

And the mercury is set to plummet as low as -11 degrees Celcius overnight in countryside areas, with temperatures in towns dropping to around -3.

Some areas could see further snowfall into the weekend.

'Strong winds will also lead to drifting, particularly over higher level roads in the north', the forecast reads.

Disruption to travel is possible throughout the day and people are urged to check before they travel and monitor weather updates.

Cumbria Police said the B5289, between Honister and Buttermere, is closed due to snow and ice making driving conditions dangerous.

Heavy snowfall on Monday shut schools in the Eden and Yorkshire Dales areas but South Lakeland got away with just a few light flurries.

Cumbria County Council said there were no planned school closures on Friday but parents can monitor any changes on The Westmorland Gazette website and at www.cumbria.gov.uk/school_closures/

Motorists can keep up to date with how the weather is affecting travel at http://www.cumbria.police.uk/traffic-link-map

Cumbria County Council also updates its website - http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/gritting/default.asp - with the latest routes gritting teams intend to tackle each day.

Keep visiting The Westmorland Gazette website for the latest weather and travel news.

As part of our Grit Watch campaign, you can also use this page to let us know if roads in your area have not been gritted, or if salt bins are empty.

If you spot a problem, email newsdesk@kendal.newsquest.co.uk or tweet us using the hashtag #WGgrit