Thursday, February 13, 2014

UK storms: Homes left without power and travel disrupted

In Worcester, the River Severn has reached record levels 
In Worcester, the River Severn has reached record levels

Tens of thousands of homes are without power and commuters are facing renewed travel disruption after hurricane-force winds battered the UK on Wednesday.


Forecasters are predicting some respite on Thursday from stormy weather but the Met Office is warning of further heavy rain and strong winds on Friday.
Sixteen severe flood warnings remain for Berkshire, Surrey and Somerset - all already hit by severe flooding.

Train services in parts of the UK are cancelled and some roads are closed.
It comes after parts of the transport network struggled to cope during Wednesday's severe weather, which closed roads and caused delays and cancellations to rail services.
In the Commons, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said £61m would be spent to help repair the damage - but Labour said at least £118m was needed for rail repairs alone.

Train passenger Ian Tully: ''I have been trying to get home since four o'clock yesterday''
Gusts of up to 112mph were recorded on Wednesday, with Wales bearing the brunt of the hurricane-force winds. However, a rare "red warning" for wind is no longer in place.
A man, thought to be in his 70s, died in a suspected electrocution while trying to move a tree brought down by power cables in Wiltshire.
In other developments:

  • David Cameron promised further visits to flood-hit communities, ahead of the first meeting of a Cabinet committee on flood recovery
  • Deputy PM Nick Clegg rejected calls for cash to be diverted from the UK's £11bn foreign aid budget to help those affected
  • Mr McLoughlin told MPs it was "important we ensure the [transport] network is resilient to threats of this nature in future"
  • Work is beginning to clear debris, fallen trees and other damage caused by 100mph winds that battered Wales
  • A man was knocked unconscious when he was hit by a fence panel as high winds hit Greater Manchester
  • A lightning strike has knocked out water supplies to 66 homes in Cornwall
  • Homes across Staffordshire and Cheshire are still without power
  • The storms have caused a trail of damage across Cumbria
  • The River Severn has reached record levels in Worcester
The BBC's Stuart Rowson took this dramatic picture in Didsbury, Manchester, but says the road is now clear  
The BBC's Stuart Rowson took this dramatic picture in Didsbury, Manchester, but says the road is now clear
 
This was the scene in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, which saw some of the highest winds to hit the UK  
This was the scene in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, which saw some of the highest winds to hit the UK
Power out
The Energy Networks Association, representing UK energy companies, said about 80,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity.

The organisation's spokesman, Tim Field, said 60,000 were without power across Wales, while the remainder were spread across northern and south-west England and the West Midlands.
He said engineers had restored power to 145,000 customers since the storms hit on Wednesday, with 68,000 restored overnight.

"The pylons and the wires themselves are very resilient to strong winds. It is other airborne objects and debris - like uprooted trees - that cannot hold on in those sorts of 100mph winds. It is these things that are causing power lines to come down," he said.
Engineers will work throughout the day to try to restore power by this evening to those customers still without, he added.

Mark Bradshaw, of East Ilsley, Berkshire, said he had experienced three power cuts in 12 hours. "With a seven-week-old baby, we are really worried that we cannot heat or sterilise her bottles as we have no gas," he said.

Headingly in Leeds High winds brought power cables and trees down leading to blackouts and blocked roads
 
Two cars were under this metal sheeting at Barrow's Holker Street Two cars in Barrow, Cumbria were trapped under metal sheeting as storms left a trail of damage
Travel problems include the following:
  • Virgin Trains is warning all services are subject to heavy delays, diversions and cancellations
  • Some rail services elsewhere in the UK remain disrupted
  • There are problems with services throughout Wales, including suspended Llandudno-Blaenau Ffestiniog services
  • Major disruption between London Paddington and Reading continues
  • Services between London Paddington and Oxford are also severely disrupted, because of flooding between Didcot Parkway and Oxford
  • Trains have been cancelled in parts of Yorkshire and north-east England. They include trains between Barnsley and Huddersfield, because of trees blocking the line
  • Disruption caused by the storm-stricken Dawlish line, along the Devon coast continues
  • Crewe station has reopened after roof panels fell on to overhead lines and caused a small fire
  • Some roads are closed because of flooding. See BBC Travel News for a full picture
  • Motorists have been advised to avoid the A9 in Scotland after several stretches were affected by snow and ice
  • Snow and ice in western and northern parts of Northern Ireland are making driving conditions difficult for a second dayHundreds of passengers on an East Coast main line train from Kings Cross to Edinburgh spent several hours stranded in north Yorkshire on Wednesday night after it lost power in the high winds.
  •  
  • Sophie Cunningham was on another train which was stuck in the area for five hours and said emergency heating and lighting lasted for just 30 minutes. She described the situation as "grim", saying it was "ice cold" and "like standing on the side of the track without the window".

    The Met Office has issued various yellow "be aware" rain, wind, ice and snow warnings for many parts of the UK.
    BBC weather forecaster Jay Wynne said Thursday would be a better day than Wednesday, although it would still be quite blustery with a mixture of rain, sleet and some snow in northern England.

    While the sea would be quite choppy on some coasts, there would be spells of sunshine in areas including the south, he said.
    Snow expected But things would go downhill again on Friday with gales and the possibility of significant snowfall in Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England.

    Another storm is waiting in the wings in the Atlantic and is due to arrive on Friday, say BBC forecasters Another storm is waiting in the wings in the Atlantic and is due to arrive on Friday, say BBC forecasters
     
    As well as 16 severe flood warnings, the Environment Agency has also issued about 400 less serious flood warnings and alerts, mostly in southern England and the Midlands.
    Hundreds of members of the armed forces are continuing to help those affected by the flooding and 2,000 remain ready to help.

    Alison Baptiste of the Environment Agency: ''It is horrible being flooded... it is completely understandable people are angry''

    Environment Agency programme director Toby Willison said a number of rivers in south-east and south-west England, including parts of the Thames, were at their highest recorded levels.
    "This is an exceptional event, it was the highest rainfall in January since 1776 and we think it is likely December, January and February will be the highest for 250 years," he added.
     

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