Christmas travel latest: Drivers urged to travel at specific times; motorway pinch points revealed; trains cancelled after major storm

There was mass disruption yesterday after a storm and an unexpected strike – so what happened? Train disruption Fallen trees and outages were among the problems caused by Storm Pia, which left London stations at a standstill and caused a number of cancellations and delays.

All services from London Euston were suspended for hours due to overhead line damage near Watford Junction, while King’s Cross also had severe delays due to a fallen tree in the Newark area. Large crowds massed outside the stations and on concourses, staring at their phones and trying to work out alternative routes. At 4.30pm, Euston said the problem had been fixed and “we are working closely with train operators to get you on the move”.

However, some operators, such as London Northwestern, were still reporting disruption on late last night. Storm Pia also disrupted air travel, with some planes diverting from northern airports and British Airways grounding two dozen flights. Video showed a pilot fighting to land his plane at Birmingham in 50mph crosswinds.

Eurostar strike Thousands of holidaymakers were stranded on both sides of the Channel when French workers rejected an end-of-year bonus. Services affected included Eurostar, which runs passenger services from London St Pancras and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which runs vehicle-carrying trains from Folkestone.

The disruption started at about midday and at least 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled, with many turning back to where they started.