We are ending our live outage policy.
Before we go, a summary of today’s events:
As we reported previously (see our article at 18:27), the forecast for Christmas is expected to be wet and windy across the UK.
With weather warnings in place until the early hours of Christmas Day, RAC Breakdown has warned what this could mean for travelers hoping to escape for a festive holiday.
“With this latest weather warning affecting a large area of Scotland and parts of northern England, there is the chance travellers’ last-minute getaway trips could be disrupted,” Rod Dennis, RAC spokesperson said.
“If trains are especially delayed, other people are more likely to move onto the roads, which could increase traffic volumes, which are already exceptionally high. “
An estimated 13.5 million journeys by car will take place across the UK between today and Christmas Eve on Sunday, up 20%, the RAC said.
That’s a 20% increase over the 3 days leading up to Christmas Day last year.
“For this reason, we urge drivers to watch out for debris on the road, adding branches and, in all likelihood, even trees, especially on more rural roads,” continued Mr. Dennis.
“Gusty situations can also make driving more challenging, so drivers need to limit their speed and stay focused on the road. “
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He warned of “limited toilet facilities” and that passengers should bring snacks to make the wait more comfortable.
The company informed its customers throughout the day that they were suffering hours of delay in reaching Calais, in France.
Apologizing for the delay, the airline added that it is working intensively with the government to “improve the situation and would like to ensure that you will be accommodated at the next departure once at the time of check-in. “
Passengers passing through Euston station were delayed today after Storm Pia caused chaos yesterday.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the station and were not allowed access to the platforms.
Network Rail said it expected delays that day as facilities resumed and many passengers made their way to the station after spending the night in hotels.
Joe Burns, 22, and Jimmy Dingwall, 25, were on their way to Liverpool for Christmas on the 10. 43am train.
They said they saw the news on Thursday and thought they were not going to be able to travel, but their train was on time this morning.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done an exercise that went well,” said Mr. Burns, a student.
Below are photographs taken at Euston station earlier today. . .
According to national roads, the A66 is closed in both directions in Cumbria due to a serious collision.
The closure occurs between the A595 south at Bridgefoot and the A595 north at Cockermouth.
National Highways adds that oncoming traffic is being diverted onto local roads.
Disruptions are expected until 8. 30pm between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street after a passenger fell on a train.
National Rail warned passengers that trains could be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.
The passenger fell ill in Airdrie, a town in North Lanarkshire, just outside Glasgow.
Services between Airdire and Balloch will now start and end at Coatdyke, National Rail said.
Earlier (see our 14:34 article) we reported that the M4 was closed westbound at Berkshire after a crash between junction 10 and junction 11, near Reading.
National Highways said all lanes of the highway reopened before 4 p. m.
It warned of a mile of congestion leading up to the area, but there have been no updates since to suggest there are any further delays.
A woman who was stuck for more than two hours waiting to board the Eurotunnel between France and the UK contacted Sky News.
Jasmine said she joined the queues at the Calais border at 2:40pm. m. local time (1:40 p. m. UK time) and was still stuck at the border at 4:52pm. m. local time (3:52 p. m. UK time).
He said the next exercise scheduled to depart for Folkestone at 6:39 p. m. local time (5:39 p. m. UK time).
Below are two videos taken by Jasmine to document her tardiness.
The first was taken when she first joined queues:
And the moment he drove a few cars away from border control:
For those who want to travel during the holiday season, weather conditions are vital.
The Met Office has said it will be a “wet and windy” run-up to the 25 December, with a number of yellow weather warnings in place.
Rain warnings are expected to come into effect on Saturday and Christmas Eve in the west of Scotland, northwest England and Wales.
Wind warnings have been issued for Sunday and into the early hours of Christmas Day, mainly in the north of Scotland and the north east of England.
Gusts are expected to reach 60mph in the area near the Pennines, which the Met Office waned could disrupt transport networks.
The precaution in the northeast of England comes into effect at 8 a. m. m. on Christmas Eve and lasts until 10 p. m. m. . In the north of Scotland, precautions are in place from 12pm. m. from the 24th until 3 a. m. of the 25th.
“The start of Christmas Day will be rainy for many, the most productive time of the driest weather will likely be in the afternoon, as weather fronts gradually shift south and east,” said Steven Keates, deputy lead meteorologist at the Met Office. .
“However, the far southeast could contain persistent rainfall for longer during the day. “
Below is the Met Office’s extended forecast for the entire festive period…
In lighter news, a passenger, who left Nottingham at 9. 30am this morning for Heathrow Airport, contacted Sky News to say “no traffic”.
Lee Johns said he arrived at West London Airport at 4 p. m. m. before your flight at 9 p. m. to the Philippines.
Having given time in case of poor traffic, Mr Johns said the journey from Long Eaton takes less than two hours.
When taking a photo of the terminal, the airport appeared empty, with few queues at the check-in counters.
Meanwhile, at London Gatwick Airport, the departure hall is incredibly busy.
Images sent through Sky News maker John McGivern show crowds of passengers waiting for their flights.
He said the terminal was “very busy” but there were plenty of staff manning security to make sure passengers won’t be waiting too long to get through.