‘Worst of Storm Bert yet to arrive’ amid gridlocked roads and cancelled flights

Thousands of homes are without power, roads are flooded and flights have been cancelled – but the worst of Storm Bert is still to come, according to UK power chiefs.

Winds of up to 70mph are set to batter coastal areas and, as temperatures rise on Saturday, melting snow and heavy rain are causing flooding.

The National Grid said around 4,000 homes in its region of the Midlands, south-west England and south Wales, are without power.

Wales

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued a series of flood warnings and alerts across the country, as bridges are shut and roads closed. Over the weekend, Wales is expected to face up to 75mm of rain widely, with 150 mm possible in some areas.

Gusts of 70mph are expected to hit coastal areas, with the Met Office warning of heavy rain likely to cause travel disruption and flooding, particularly across south Wales.

NRW has issued flood warnings – where flooding is expected, and immediate action is required – on four stretches of river, and it has also issued alerts – where flooding is possible – for more than 30 areas across Wales.

Warnings are in place around:

-River Loughor at Ammanford and Llandybie impacting low-lying property in Ammanford, Llandybie and Aberlash, including Carmarthenshire College

-River Severn, affecting the village of Aberbechan

-River Cothi in low lying areas between Pontargothi and Pontynyswen, including the Cothi Bridge Hotel

-River Towy, affecting isolated properties, as well as farms and roads, between Llandeilo and Abbergwili

‘Multi-hazard event’

Ross Easton, of Energy Networks Association (ENA) – which represents the UK’s power network operators, said: “There are a few localised weather-related power cuts in parts of Britain this morning. However, for most parts of the country the severe weather hasn’t yet had a significant impact.

“Forecasters are describing this as a ‘multi-hazard event’ with the worst of the weather yet to arrive, and so our members have extra engineers and contact centre teams available, and control rooms are monitoring the storm closely as it develops.”

The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire was closed because of strong winds, and the A66 in County Durham was closed both ways between the A67 and A645 due to snow.

Traffic has been at a standstill on the M80 near Castlecary, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Flights were disrupted at Newcastle Airport as heavy snow hit the North East overnight and into Saturday morning.

Some arrivals were diverted to Belfast and Edinburgh while the airport’s snow team tried to minimise disruption.

Warnings

Six weather warnings remain in place and Scots are being urged not to travel “unless absolutely necessary” as Storm Bert continues to cause travel disruption across the country.

Forecasters have predicted as much as 40cm of snow on high grounds in Scotland as central areas remain in an amber alert for snow and ice until 5pm today.

Avanti West Coast has cancelled its service between Edinburgh and Carlisle all day on Saturday with the next direct service from Carlisle not scheduled to run until Sunday afternoon.

The roads have also seen massive disruption, with the M48 Severn Bridge between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire closed in both directions between J1 and J2 due to strong winds.

National Highways has advised motorists to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, leading to around four miles of congestion on the M4 west of J20-22.

Rail lines have also been affected, with the Conwy Valley line, which runs from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the Heart of Wales lines – Swansea to Shropshire – set to be closed all Saturday and Sunday.

Irish Ferries’ crossings between Pembroke Dock and Rosslare and Stena Line’s services between Fishguard and Rosslare have been cancelled.

A wind warning covers coastal areas of southern England and Wales from 9am on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.

UK Power Networks, the operator for the east and south-east of England, has warned people to stay away from overhead power lines amid the gusts.