Travel warnings issued as Storm Babet causes fresh disruption

Train operators are among those urging passengers not to travel in areas affected by flooding

A car in a flooded street in Brechin - one of the areas which has been under red weather warnings
Author: Jacob Phillips, PA / Jonny FreemanPublished 21st Oct 2023

Train operators around the UK have advised customers not to travel today due to widespread disruption following Storm Babet.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Avanti West Coast and Northern Rail have all warned against travelling as lines are widely flooded.

LNER has said there is "an extremely limited service" in place due to flooding between Doncaster and Wakefield.

The service has also been impacted by speed restrictions in Scotland and trains and crews being out of position after extensive disruption on Friday.

There are no LNER services north of Edinburgh on Saturday and rail replacement services are not available because of road closures.

The train operator said remaining services may be subject to short-notice cancellations.

Northern Rail said all lines between Cheadle Hulme and Wilmslow are blocked due to damage to the overhead electric wires.

Services are also not able to run from Sheffield to Nottingham or Lincoln due to flooding.

Trains are also unable to travel between Leeds and Doncaster, Harrogate and Bradford.

The line between Newcastle and Morpeth is also closed due to viaduct damage, Northern Rail added.

Avanti West Coast has said its services are also severely disrupted and it has asked customers to not travel between Crewe and North Wales and that people should only travel between Preston and Glasgow or Edinburgh if absolutely necessary.

Leeds Bradford Airport has reopened after heavy winds forced a Tui flight with 195 passengers and crew to skid off a runway on Friday. No one was injured.

Tui customers who were due to travel from Leeds Bradford on Saturday have been directed to Manchester Airport instead, the airline has said.

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