Premier League: Manchester City's home clash against West Ham United postponed due to brewing storm across northern Europe

London: Manchester City’s Premier League game against West Ham United on Sunday was called off due to a storm battering northern Europe.

The announcement was made five hours before the scheduled kickoff in the northern English city of Manchester, with City citing safety concerns due to “extreme and escalating weather conditions."

It was one of only four scheduled Premier League games this weekend in the competition’s first split winter break. Sheffield United was still due to host Bournemouth on Sunday.

The storm has led to football games in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands also being postponed.

German title challenger Borussia Mönchengladbach said Sunday’s game against Cologne would likely not be affected but that fans could face a dangerous journey home.

There was no word of the storm affecting Sunday’s other Bundesliga game between league leader Bayern Munich and Leipzig.

All four of Sunday’s scheduled league games in the Netherlands were called off, including Ajax’s visit to Utrecht, along with amateur games at all levels. Three games in the Belgian league were also postponed.