Storm Goretti live: rail networks in England suspend services as 380,000 homes in France lose power | UK news
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Two rail networks suspend services in England
West Midlands Railway said it has suspended all services. It said:
We are unable to operate any services until the afternoon.
No rail replacement road transport is being provided because of “uncertain road conditions”, it added.
London Northwestern Railway said it has suspended services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street until Friday afternoon. Its services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston are reduced.
Key events
Many schools in Scotland closed for fifth day as wintry weather continues
Many schools will remain closed for a fifth day on Friday as Scotland remains gripped by continued wintry weather, reports the PA news agency.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice covering much of Scotland which came into force at 8pm and runs until midday on Friday.
More than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray.
Many pupils will have had a whole week off school at the start of the new term, though remote learning has been provided in many cases.
It comes after several days of “intense” snowfall, ice and sub-zero temperatures which have led to school closures and travel disruption, mainly in the north of the country.
Scotland’s first minister John Swinney will visit the Aberdeen western peripheral route (AWPR) Amey depot in Aberdeen on Friday to hear about recovery efforts as part of the wider response to the severe weather in northern Scotland.
A total of 278 schools were closed on Thursday across northern Scotland, or about 11% of the school estate – down on the 440 that were closed on Wednesday.
More travel updates: Ferry operator DFDS said all its sailings between Dover and France are disrupted.
It said:
All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel.
Please check-in as normal, we will transfer all passengers on to the first available sailing on arrival.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Two rail networks suspend services in England
West Midlands Railway said it has suspended all services. It said:
We are unable to operate any services until the afternoon.
No rail replacement road transport is being provided because of “uncertain road conditions”, it added.
London Northwestern Railway said it has suspended services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street until Friday afternoon. Its services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston are reduced.
British Airways cancels dozens of flights at Heathrow
British Airways has cancelled 25 departures and 27 arrivals scheduled to operate at London’s Heathrow airport on Friday.
The vast majority of affected flights were on short-haul routes, reports the PA news agency.
We have an update on Birmingham airport, which suspended its runway operations on Thursday evening due to heavy snow (see 5.42am GMT).
In a statement on Friday morning, Birmingham airport said its runway remains closed but it has resumed processing passengers through security. It said:
Our teams are completing final snow clearance and safety checks on the airfield.
Runway operations are still suspended at this time however passenger security processing has commenced.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause however the safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority. Passengers due to travel should contact their airline regarding the status of flights.
West Midlands facing ‘worst snowfall in a decade’, say officials
Officials in the West Midlands have warned of the “worst snowfall in a decade” as parts of England and Wales prepare to be hit with 5-10cm of snow on Friday, and up to 15-25cm in some areas.
In a statement on Wednesday, Stoke-on-Trent city council reassured residents it had not run out of grit after “misinformation” began to circulate. It said:
We are now facing the worst snowfall we have faced in 10 years. The Met Office has predicted that we could have 3.5 inches of snow and temperatures as low as minus 4C on Thursday into Friday morning. As a result, we are carefully managing our resources and stock of salt.
The statement added:
Unfortunately, we have been made aware of some misinformation circulating regarding the council’s salt supplies and gritting operations. It simply isn’t true that we have run out of grit.
Amber cold-health alert extended until midday Monday for all regions of England
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office extended the amber cold-health alert by 24 hours on Thursday, meaning all regions of England will now remain under an amber alert until 12pm on Monday 12 January.
Earlier this week Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said:
The current cold snap is now expected to last at least until this weekend according to Met Office forecasts, and we know that prolonged exposure to low temperatures can have a severe impact on people’s health, especially if they’re older or have serious health conditions.
That’s why we’re urging people to check in on friends, family and neighbours who may be more vulnerable to the cold and make sure that they’re able to keep themselves warm while this period of cold lasts.
UKHSA has published a range of guidance, including how to support vulnerable people before and during cold weather and staying safe in cold weather.
Goretti cuts power to 380,000 homes in France
About 380,000 households in France were without power on Friday morning as Storm Goretti swept through northern Europe with fierce winds.
The vast majority of the affected households were in the northern Normandy region, the Enedis power provider said in a statement, with residents also affected in Brittany, Picardy and the Ile-de-France regions, Agence France-Presse reports.
Forecasters in France and Britain have urged people to stay inside their homes.
Overnight, a wind gust of 132mph (213kmh) was registered in France’s north-western Manche region, authorities said.
Here are some of the latest images coming in as Storm Goretti pummels the UK.
And one from France of a huge wave crashing on the jetty of the harbour of Le Conquet, western France, as Goretti was announced to be approaching the country’s northern coasts.
The highest wind gusts recorded from Storm Goretti has remained 99mph in St Marys, according to the Met Office on Thursday evening.
It said in its update posted on X that the next five highest were:
The storm has cut electricity to 380,000 households in France, a power company is being reported as saying.
We’ll bring you more as it comes to hand.
Birmingham airport suspended its runway operations on Thursday evening due to heavy snow.
It posted on X a short while ago that its teams were now “completing final snow clearance and safety checks on the airfield”.
It also said:
Runway operations are still suspended at this time however passenger security processing has commenced … Passengers due to travel should contact their airline regarding the status of flights.
Network Rail has urged passengers to check for updates before they travel on Friday morning.
Some railway lines have been closed in Wales since Thursday afternoon and all trains were cancelled in Cornwall from 6pm last night, with no replacement road transport due to risky driving conditions.
In Devon, trains between Exeter and Okehampton and between Exeter and Barnstaple were also suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.
National Rail said train services across England, Scotland and Wales might be affected until the end of Friday because of the weather.
Regional director Jake Kelly said thousands of Network Rail staff would do “everything they can to keep the railway running” but “we are concerned that the scale of the storm means there may still be some disruption”.
Blackouts hit 50,000 properties in south-west
More than 50,000 properties were reportedly without power in south-west England on Thursday evening, the National Grid’s website said.
In the West Midlands about 9,000 had no electricity while 2,000 were without power in Wales.
As mentioned the Met Office issued a rare red warning for south-west England over “dangerous, stormy” winds.
‘Multi-hazard’ Storm Goretti brings heavy rain, strong winds and snow to UK
Heavy rain, strong winds and snow hit parts of the UK on Thursday as the “multi-hazard” Storm Goretti battered more exposed areas, caused travel disruption and saw red and amber weather warnings issued across the country.
Storm Goretti, named by Meteo France, evolved into a “weather bomb”, bringing up to 30cm of snowfall in Wales and the Midlands as well as winds of up to 100mph (160km/h) across exposed hills and coastal areas.
Amber weather warnings had been issued across the UK on Thursday with Storm Goretti expected to bring a potential risk to life in parts of the country, but a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds was issued by the Met Office later for south-west England.
The warning, from 4pm until 11pm on Thursday, saw “violent gusts” over two to three hours hit parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
The Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the storm would mean “wet, windy and wintry weather” in parts of the UK. He said Goretti would bring “some strong winds and some significant snow to central and perhaps southern parts”.
He added:
As that rain pushes its way and it hits against that cold air that we currently have across us … and so on the northern edge, we are likely to see some fairly significant snow as we go through later tomorrow and into Friday.
There was also a yellow warning for snow and ice in Scotland from 10pm on Wednesday until midday on Thursday and a yellow warning for ice in Northern Ireland from Wednesday through to Thursday morning.
National Highways issued its own amber warning for snow in the West and East Midlands, which began at 6pm on Thursday and will stay in place until 9am on Friday. The agency said in a statement:
Routes particularly around Birmingham across to Leicester and Nottingham will see particularly difficult driving conditions and consideration of the weather forecast should be taken before commencing journeys, with considerable delays possible.
Rail services have also been affected, with National Rail advising passengers to check their journeys before travelling and Eurostar warning that customers on routes to and from London St Pancras were likely to see delays and cancellations.
While major airports have said they will be operating as normal, airports in Jersey and Guernsey closed at 6pm on Thursday due to Storm Goretti.
We will bring you weather updates as they come in.
