Met Office warns of travel chaos in galeforce winds as hundreds of trains cancelled on New Year’s Eve - live
The Met Office have warned 75mph winds may wreak havoc on New Year’s Eve travel plans
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The Met Office have warned 75mph winds may wreak havoc on New Year’s Eve travel plans
Eurostar returns to service but other trains cancelled amid severe weather
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New Year’s Eve plans across Britain have been left in tatters today as the Met Office warns that galeforce winds are set to bring severe travel disruption.
The forecasters have issued two yellow weather warnings for wind across southern England and Wales and rain in northwestern England.
Brits can expect 75mph winds and lashing rain to bring flooding and delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport as they enter 2024.
It comes as several rail companies have warned passengers not to travel amid staff shortages just one day after a flooded tunnel left 30,000 Eurostar passengers stranded.
Northern Trains has issued a Do Not Travel notice for 31 December on links from Manchester Victoria to Chester and Stalybridge, and from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester via Altrincham.
LNER has cancelled or curtailed more than 20 trains on New Year’s Eve and most Thameslink trains are being cancelled due to staff shortage. The usual overnight services will not run at all in the early hours of New Year’s day.
Over 200 flood alerts and warnings across UK
There are over 200 flood alerts and warnings currently in place across the UK, as the weather threatens to foil New Year’s Eve plans.
In England, there are 44 flood warnings and 177 flood alerts spread across the country.
In Scotland there are currently three flood alerts and two flood warnings, while in Wales there are 11 flood alerts and one flood warning in the south west.
(Environment Agency)
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 14:50
Hopeful travellers gather in St Pancras
Rail passengers wanting to make it home in time for the New Year’s countdown have gathered in St Pancras in the hopes they may board a train.
Maes Bert and Lievens Nele, both 45, are in a large queue for tickets at London’s St Pancras International, hoping to get spaces on a train home to Brussels on Sunday so they can enjoy the New Year countdown with their two daughters after their train on Saturday was cancelled.
Ms Bert said: “Our tickets was cancelled yesterday so if you want a new ticket you have to queue here and hope you get one, and I hope we are getting home today, but it’s not sure there are tickets, so we have to wait and wait and wait, but it’s not going further, it takes a long time. “
Mr Nele said: “Yesterday we got to Dover for trying with a boat but that was not an option.”
Ms Bert said they had been queuing for about half an hour, adding: “Yesterday you can (re-)book your tickets but all was booked for today, but now they said there are coming more places for a train, so now we hope there is a place for two persons, and otherwise it’s tomorrow, but then we are not home for the holidays. Our two children are home.”
Mr Nele said: “They [their daughters] got back on a boat yesterday, there was places for two people and we gave the places to our daughters, Antje [20] and Janne [24].”
(Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 14:20
RAC’s official travel advice
With many people travelling during the Christmas and New Year period the RAC’s Rod Dennis offers the following advice:
“Storm Gerrit might have passed but, with another round of distinctly unsettled weather moving in, drivers are going to once again need to be ready to cope with difficult driving conditions in the run up to the new year.
“The most important thing they should do is reduce their speeds, especially on exposed and upland roads, and to always keep a firm hold of the steering wheel to avoid getting buffeted off course by the gusty winds.
“Driving slower also gives motorists more time to react to changing conditions up ahead – and this is particularly important during periods of very heavy rainfall which can quickly reduce vehicles’ grip on the road and make driving hazardous.”
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 13:50
Heavy and thundery rain forecast this afternoon
The Met Office has forecasted heavy and thundery rain in their latest forecast for New Years Eve.
One yellow weather warning is currently in place across southern Wales and England while another for rain is due in northwestern England at 6pm tonight.
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 13:25
Full report: UK to kick off 2024 with blustery showers and gale force winds
The United Kingdom braces itself for a tumultuous start to 2024, marked by blustery showers, gale-force winds, and continued travel disruptions.
The Met Office’s weather forecast sets the stage for a rollercoaster ride of weather phenomena, as people can face damp fireworks displays.
Read the full report on what the weather will be like here:
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 13:00
Pictures: UK battered by wet weather on New Year’s Eve
Waves crash in to the shoreline in Brighton, East Sussex.
(PA)
Cars travel along a flooded road after heavy rain, in Wolverhampton
(REUTERS)
Flood water in York after the River Ouse burst its banks
(PA)
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 12:35
Thameslink warns of ‘severe disruption’ due to staff shortage for the next 24 hours
Thameslink, which runs the line between Bedford, Luton, central London, Gatwick and Brighton, is warning fo “severe disruption” for travellers on New Year’s Eve and 1 January.
The rail firm says: “There will be a significantly reduced service on Thameslink north of London and south to Brighton in the afternoon and evening [of 31 December], and no Thameslink trains across the network at all overnight.
“Customers intending to travel back from London during the night towards Bedford or Brighton/Three Bridges will be unable to do so.
“Sutton, Rainham and Sevenoaks Thameslink trains will continue to run. Southern and Gatwick Express trains are not affected and Gatwick Airport will continue to be served.
“Customers for Luton Airport will be able to use EMR trains and Luton Express, although these finish earlier on Sunday.”
(Simon Calder)
Simon Calder31 December 2023 12:10
Brits told to bring their raincoats to New Year’s Eve celebrations
Britons are gearing up for a wet and windy start to 2024 as the Met Office warns them to bring a raincoat to their celebrations.
“As we begin to approach midnight for many parts, Northern Ireland, England and Wales we continue to see some further showers, so certainly recommend a rain jacket if you are planning to be about around midnight,” Meteorologist Craig Snell said.
“For Scotland it should turn a little but drier here and with some lighter winds, it will turn quite chilly too, so maybe a thicker jacket here as we approach midnight.”
(PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 11:50
French family hail unexpected Eurostar tickets a New Year’s Eve ‘miracle’
A French family who feared they would not be able to get home until January 2 after Saturday’s Eurostar chaos saw their train cancelled have hailed their unexpected tickets home on Sunday as a New Year’s Eve “miracle”.
Isobel Ram, 49, her partner Amaury Ferrero, 52, and daughter Lee Ram, 20, live in Toulouse but their train home was cancelled on Saturday due to flooding in a tunnel in Kent.
Amid the chaos, they booked the first available return tickets, for January 2.
Ms Ram told the PA news agency: “We spent the night in a hotel, we came back this morning and a miracle happened and they gave us three tickets for today’s Eurostar (12.30pm train). We were worried we would be here until January 2.
“We were super happy but a bit embarrassed because there was a huge queue of people waiting behind us and we didn’t want to show we got tickets, make it too obvious, in case other people didn’t. But we said a huge thank you to the lady who did the tickets for us.”
She said her daughter is especially pleased they will be home for New Year’s Eve, adding: “She has got a huge party in Paris tonight. It’s excellent, fantastic, brilliant, a miracle.”
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 11:30
Details of new weather warning issued
The Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warning for rain in the North West this evening.
It will come into place on 6pm on New Year’s Eve and remain in place until 6am on New Year’s Day.
Some areas are expected to see up to 40mm of rain.
Athena Stavrou31 December 2023 11:07
