AN UNSEASONAL wintry blast left much of the Keighley district blanketed in snow.

Many people woke up to a covering of snow yesterday morning, as temperatures plummeted way below the late-April norm.

Several centimetres fell on higher ground, which – with icy conditions too – prompted a police warning to motorists to take extra care.

Main roads were clear, but some minor routes proved difficult to negotiate.

Bus company Transdev Keighley said a number of its services in outlying areas were affected.

The 500, 664 and 665 from Keighley for a time could not operate beyond Haworth.

And other services also struggled in some more remote spots.

No major problems were reported on the Airedale railway line.

The Met Office said wintry weather at this time of year was not as uncommon as some people thought.

"The last time we had a snow warning in April for the UK was in 2013 – but we did have some warnings for snow in May last year," said a spokesman.

"Statistically, it is more likely to snow in April than November. The average number of days of snow in April is 2.3 compared to 1.7 days for November."