Met Office issues new weather warnings for heavy rain, snow and ice
File: Snow blankets Scottish towns as Met Office issues two weather warnings
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Thousands of holidaymakers have been stranded in St Pancras after flooding in the Thames tunnel sparked Eurostar cancellations.[1][2] The central London terminal is filled with people in tears who have lost out on Disneyland trips[3] and devastated holidaymakers who say their New Year plans have been “ruined” by the cancellations.
All of Saturday’s Eurostar[4] trains between London St Pancras International and Continental Europe have been cancelled due to flooding on the High Speed 1[5] line near Ebbsfleet International A spokesperson said: “Eurostar has been made aware by Network Rail that flooding in the tunnels between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet has not improved and train services are unable to operate.” Southeastern Railway trains also said none of their services will run between Ebbsfleet and London St Pancras International today.
Thames Water revealed on Saturday afternoon that the cause of the flood was a “fire control system” rather than the company’s pipes. Further travel delays, flooding and power cuts[6] are to be expected over the weekend according to the Met Office as the country gears up for a wet and cold New Year’s Eve.
Show latest update 1703955052
How can I get home and what are my rights?
The Independent’s Travel Correspondent Simon Calder arrived at the Eurostar hub in central London at 5.30am on Saturday morning- just as the first news of cancellations was spreading. Tens of thousands of Eurostar passengers have had their New Year travel plans torn up due to flooding on the High Speed 1 line between London and Ebbsfleet in Kent.
A total of 41 have been trains cancelled, leaving upwards of 30,000 passengers with no immediate way to reach their destination – and uncertain about their entitlement to compensation. Simon Calder explains how you can get home if your train was cancelled and what your rights are: Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 16:50
Family ‘trying not to be homeless with children in cold London night’ after Eurostar travel chaos
A mother has said her family is “trying not to be homeless with children in cold London night” after Eurostar travel chaos upended their “dream” trip to the French capital and Disneyland Paris.
Luana Andrade, 36, her husband Rondi Oroujo, 32, and their three-year-old son, who live in Dublin, are marooned at London’s St Pancras International along with his six visiting relatives from Brazil, including his niece, 13, and nephew, seven. They had planned to spend New Year’s Eve and day in Paris before heading to the theme park on Tuesday, but their outbound train was cancelled and they said there is no availability to reschedule for Sunday, leaving them trying to book an “expensive” flight and with nowhere to stay in London on Saturday. Ms Andrade said they are “trying not to be homeless with children in the cold London night”, adding: “Our problem is to get a night to sleep because London is really expensive and we don’t have an Airbnb to stay at tonight.
The main problem is where are we going to stay with the kids, then we figure out tomorrow.” Mr Oroujo added: “We going to have to rearrange everything I don’t think we are going to be able to spend New Year’s Eve (in Paris) because even if we get a fight for tomorrow, even if we get a very expensive one, we’re going to get there at like 10pm/11pm.” Ms Andrade added: “It’s not a trip, it’s a dream trip.
So this is really expensive, it’s a big deal for our family because we are from Brazil, so it’s expensive. We planned for months, almost a year, and now probably we don’t get it.” Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 16:08
Bleak prospect for passengers as Eurostar axes all remaining trains on Saturday
The prospects for tens of thousands of Eurostar passengers reaching their destination by the end of the year look increasingly bleak.
The train operator connecting London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam has now cancelled all its trains for Saturday 30 December, leaving 30,000 or more passengers stranded. A spokesperson said: “Eurostar has been made aware by Network Rail that flooding in the tunnels between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet has not improved and train services are unable to operate. “Eurostar has therefore had to take the unfortunate decision to cancel all services for the rest of the day.
This is a total of 41 trains. “Eurostar is extremely sorry for the unforeseen issues affecting customers today but safety remains our number one priority. “We understand this is a vital time to get home at the end of the festive season and ahead of New Year and we are supporting customers in stations.
“Customers affected are encouraged to visit the website to find out what compensation they can receive.” “Network Rail is continuing to keep Eurostar updated regarding how the situation continues to evolve ahead of tomorrow. We will be in direct contact with customers due to travel to keep them updated.”
Simon Calder30 December 2023 15:38
Cause of flooding revealed
The flooding in a Kent tunnel which has led to the cancellation of all Eurostar services has been caused by a “fire control system”, a water company said. In a statement, Thames Water said: “We have been informed of an incident involving a pipe flooding the Eurostar tunnel. We believe the incident is in regard to a fire control system and not a Thames Water pipe/asset, however we have a technician on the way to offer support to control the flow of water.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and offer support where needed.” A video taken inside the flooded tunnel shows water gushing onto the tracks from a pipe attached to the tunnel’s wall.
(PA) Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 15:02
Tornado warning issued
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) have warned that some areas of the UK could see “isolated tornadoes” today.
Experts issued the Severe Weather Forecast for central and southern areas in the Republic of Ireland, parts of northern England, the Midlands, East Anglia, southern England and the Channel Islands. Brits in these areas can expect wind gusts to 70mph, hail, lightning and potentially isolated tornadoes until the warning is set to expire on Sunday at 6am. “Low-level flow into the front will likely encourage a narrow line of intense rain, and the shear along the front may allow misocyclones to develop,” the warning said. “These will assist in bringing strong wind gusts in places, perhaps to 60-70mph.
There will also be the risk of isolated tornadoes.” It comes after a localised tornado brought by Storm Gerrit tore roofs off in Greater Manchester earlier this week.
(TORRO) Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 14:59
What’s causing the travel chaos?
Thousands of passengers are stranded at St Pancras International this morning as all Eurostar and Southeastern trains have been cancelled.
Flooding occurred in both railway tunnels near Ebbsfleet International station in southeastern England, meaning both tunnels are closed. No trains will be able to run between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet until the flood has been cleared. Over 40 Eurostar trains have been cancelled so far and Southeastern have warned disruption is expected all day.
Watch: Floodwater gushes through tunnel near Ebbsfleet as Eurostar services cancelled
(PA) Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 14:40
Watch: Newlywed Disneyland plans ruined due to Eurostar travel chaos
Newlywed Disneyland plans ruined due to Eurostar travel chaos Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 14:10
Cold front to make it’s way across southern England for NYE
The Met Office a band of heavy rain and squally winds associated with a cold front move across southern England.
A weather warning is in place in the region for wind until the early hours of Sunday morning. Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 13:37
Tears and anger as Eurostar cancellations rise
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent of The Independent, arrived at the Eurostar hub in central London at 5.30am – just as the first news of cancellations was spreading. He reports on the morning:
The scenes at London St Pancras International on the penultimate morning of the year mirrored those nine days earlier, when dozens of Eurostar trains were cancelled by a sudden strike. As passengers processed the bad news that they would not be travelling as booked for their New Year plans, a contingent of British holidaymakers went online to organise flights – though fares were rising by the minute. One family who had just arrived for their train to Paris for a Disneyland break asked for my advice: go home, get the car and set off for Folkestone or Dover, I recommended.
Eurotunnel shuttles and cross-Channel ferries are still running to Calais. A group of women from Leicestershire who were travelling to Brussels for a New Year weekend decided they would stay in London instead. The saddest contingents were the Dutch, Belgian and French travellers trying to return home, bewildered by the increasing crowds and without an understanding of their options.
Some were weeping as they told loved ones they would not, after all, reach home this evening. The advice, in French and English, was to go online or onto the Eurostar app and rebook – though passengers were told no standard class seats are available for the rest of the day. “We apologies for any inconvenience caused,” the message concluded.
(EPA)
Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 13:12
Watch: Floodwater gushes through tunnel near Ebbsfleet as Eurostar services cancelled
Thousands of rail passengers have been left stranded after a tunnel near Ebbsfleet was flooding amid extreme weather across the UK. Southeastern and Eurostar cancelled all services due to run through the tunnel this morning with cancellations expected to continue throughout the day. Floodwater gushes through tunnel near Ebbsfleet as Eurostar services cancelled
Athena Stavrou30 December 2023 12:48
References
- ^ stranded in St Pancras (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Eurostar cancellations. (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ people in tears who have lost out on Disneyland trips (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Eurostar (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ High Speed 1 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ travel delays, flooding and power cuts (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703955052 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703952508 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703950698 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703948574 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703948378 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703947237 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703945437 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703943461 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703941949 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1703940495 (www.independent.co.uk)