MILES of cars are trapped in snow and trains canceled as Storm Gerrit causes travel chaos across Britain.
A major incident was declared on the A9 in the Scottish Highlands as emergency services were deployed.
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A major incident has been declared on the A9 in the Highlands as miles of vehicles are stuck in snow between Drumochter and DalwhinnieCredit: Northpix
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Police Scotland said it was dealing with the incident and emergency teams prioritizing the vulnerableCredit: X
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A Highland Council spokesman said ‘miles of vehicles’ were stuck in the snow along the A9 in ScotlandCredit: © JASPERIMAGE.COM
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Commuters in Kings Cross, London saw their travel plans disrupted as Storm Gerrit wreaked rail havocCredit: PA
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A bowling alley in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland turned into a canal as water flooded the lanes Credit: Getty
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A yellow warning for wind and rain is in place for most of the UKCredit: MET Office
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Commuters faced disruption at Waterloo London station this morning Credit: LNP
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The Environment Agency was seen erecting flood barriers along the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shrops, as Storm Gerrit rolled in Credit: Reuters
Police Scotland said it was dealing with the incident between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie as rescue crews prioritize the vulnerable in “difficult conditions”.
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Earlier, the Met Office warned that between 10-20 cm of snow could fall in some areas of the highlands.
Due to disruption on the A9, Rangers’ SPL game against Ross County was called off after the latter’s team bus failed to reach Glasgow.
A Highland Council spokesman said: “A major incident has been declared for the A9 due to miles of vehicles stuck in snow between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie.
“Partner agencies are providing assistance to those trapped, prioritizing the most vulnerable and turning vehicles north and south of the ban.
“Conditions are very difficult. We are advising people not to travel on the A9 between Inverness and Dalwhinnie today.”
Extraordinary pictures show how a bowling alley in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was turned into a canal as water flooded the lanes.
Meanwhile, at least eighteen British Airways flights due to arrive and depart from Heathrow have been canceled as 70mph winds, heavy rain and snow continue to batter the UK.
Thousands of passengers hoping to return to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester have had their plans disrupted.
And those heading to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris were banned from travel by Charles de Gaulle as air traffic control introduced a series of travel restrictions.
A British Airways spokesman apologized to customers for the disruption and said they were working hard to get passengers up and running “as soon as possible”.
The cancellation comes as yellow wind and rain warnings are in effect across most of the country.
Motorists across the UK are being warned of potentially dangerous conditions on their way home after the Christmas holidays.
The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire is currently closed in both directions due to high winds, the National Highways Agency said.
Motorists are advised to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge as an alternative route.
Drivers on the M62 near Manchester also faced congestion as Britain’s road network came to a standstill due to the storm.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency was seen erecting flood barriers along the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shrops, as Storm Gerrit arrived.
‘ABSOLUTE QUALITY’
It comes after three-hour queues engulfed the port of Dover in Kent today, with passengers calling the situation “absolute chaos” with “no information”.
Frustrated drivers got out of their vehicles as children raced through traffic to get to the toilet in scenes described as “absolute chaos”.
Paul Jennings, a British national returning home to France, said he arrived in Dover at 10.30am this morning and was still stuck in the queue at 1.30pm.
He told The Sun: “I have spoken to the only traffic management person and they have no information to share.
“Parents and children walk across car lanes, bus lanes and outside traffic lanes to get to the toilet.
“The lack of information is what makes it so dangerous because people are walking the alleys to try and find out what’s going on.”
One person said she only moved “a few meters” in more than two hours of waiting in line.
Parents and children walk across car lanes, buses and outside traffic lanes to get to the toilet
Paul Jennings, Briton stuck in Dover harbour
There were also disruptions to DFDS Seaways ferries between Dover and Dunkirk due to high demand and bad weather, the company said.
The Port of Dover said the queues, which appear to have ended, were due to the illness of French border officials.
Ferry operator Red Funnel, which operates between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight, has warned customers to expect cancellations of Red Jet passenger services due to high winds.
Hovercraft services between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight are currently suspended.
RAILROAD DISORDER
Travel disruption has also hit Britain’s rail network hard today.
Network Rail Scotland had previously introduced speed limits and urged passengers to check for cancellations.
Problems with two Christmas rail construction projects are also causing major disruption.
Services at the southern end of the Midland Main Line between St Albans and London St Pancras were hit by a signaling system failure, while excessive engineering work caused misery for many commuters in the South East.
East Midlands Rail said a signaling problem is preventing it from running services between London St Pancras and Luton Airport, meaning thousands of passengers risk missing flights.
Thameslink services to and from the airport have also been affected, with many trains canceled or seriously delayed.
Network Rail, which is responsible for rail infrastructure, said the fault was linked to work by technology company Siemens over Christmas to install a new signal control system on the Midland Main Line.
Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail, said: “I am very sorry that our engineering work is affecting passengers today.
“There is a fault in part of the signaling control system which means we have to reduce the number of trains that can run.
“Siemens signaling engineers are working to restore a reliable system as soon as possible.”
Shortly before 8am on Wednesday, Southeastern warned passengers that there was “severe disruption to much of the network” due to “engineering works not completed in time” in the Nunhead area of south-east London.
Lines between the capital and Bromley South, Swanley, Orpington and Sevenoaks were blocked until around 9am, but the disruption continued later as trains were not in position.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said the storm was named as a warning to people returning home after the Christmas holidays.
He said: “Due to the extent of the warnings being issued, it is thought that a named storm would be a good idea as it will highlight the risk involved, particularly as tomorrow is likely to be quite a busy day on the roads with people returning home from Christmas and similar things.”
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Motorists in the Scottish Highlands were told not to travelCredit: Northpix
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Snow plows were on the A9 in Scotland clearing snow on WednesdayCredit: Northpix
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Motorists on the M62 near Manchester faced congestion as Britain’s road network came to a standstill due to the stormCredit: SWNS
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A driver drives through floodwater on the outskirts of Billericay, Essex Credit: ROB WELHAM / McLELLAN
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Walkers braving strong wind and rain on Whitley Bay Promenade Credit: NNP
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A snow plow on the outskirts of Allenheads, Northumberland Credit: Jordan Crosby
Mr Partridge said wet and windy weather would cover “almost the whole of the UK”, with significant snowfall in parts of Scotland.
A yellow warning for rain and snow is in place from 6am to 9pm across most of Scotland on Wednesday.
“There are wind warnings for southern England, across the English Channel,” added Mr Partridge.
“But we also have wind warnings in place for parts of west Wales, north-west England, Northern Ireland, northern Scotland and the Northern Isles.”
He said only the central part of the UK had no wind warning.
Wind warning areas can expect gusts of 50-60mph, with up to 70mph on high ground and exposed coasts.
“In terms of rain, we’ve got rain warnings for the whole of Northern Ireland, west Wales, north-west England and then there’s a combined rain and snow warning for Scotland,” Mr Partridge said.
Rainfall in the warning areas is forecast to be between 40-60mm, with the potential for 70-90mm in the western hills of Wales and the western side of the Pennines.
There is a possibility of a power outage, as well as a low probability of flooding of homes and business premises.
Storm Gerrit will gradually move to the northeast late Wednesday and into Thursday.
Further unsettled weather is likely later in the week, with strong winds, rain and snow in the mountains.
Last week, people traveling for Christmas were among those affected by Storm Pia which hit parts of the UK during the countdown to the festive season.
Winds of more than 80 mph lashed northern parts of the UK, with gusts of 81 mph reported at Brizlee Wood near Alnwick, Northumberland, and at Baltasound in Shetland, with gusts of 70 mph reported elsewhere in northeast England.
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A fallen tree blocks the road on Three Mile Lane in Keele, StaffordshireCredit: Reuters
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Cars make their way through a flooded road in WolverhamptonCredit: Story Picture Agency
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A thick blanket of snow covers the village of Nenthead in CumbriaCredit: Jordan Crosby
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Heavy snow showers and high winds hit Hexham, Northumberland this morningCredit: Jordan Crosby
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