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High winds disrupt rail services | High winds disrupt rail services |
(10 minutes later) | |
Passengers travelling on the West Coast railway line can expect severe delays after containers from two freight trains fell onto tracks in high winds. | Passengers travelling on the West Coast railway line can expect severe delays after containers from two freight trains fell onto tracks in high winds. |
The winds, which battered much of England overnight, left freight on track at Shap in Cumbria and on a stretch of the line in Buckinghamshire. | The winds, which battered much of England overnight, left freight on track at Shap in Cumbria and on a stretch of the line in Buckinghamshire. |
Engineers are working to remove the containers and to check for any damage to the track and infrastructure. | Engineers are working to remove the containers and to check for any damage to the track and infrastructure. |
Virgin customers are being advised not to travel or to use alternative routes. | Virgin customers are being advised not to travel or to use alternative routes. |
Track damage | Track damage |
A spokesman for Network Rail said he could not estimate what time services would get back to normal. | A spokesman for Network Rail said he could not estimate what time services would get back to normal. |
He said: "A freight train passing through the Shap area lost some containers. These containers are now lying on the line." | He said: "A freight train passing through the Shap area lost some containers. These containers are now lying on the line." |
The train had just come up the Shap incline, one of the longest hills on a main line in the UK and was at about 1,000ft (305m) above sea level when the wind caught it and blew the containers away. | |
The driver did not notice the containers, which are thought to be empty, until he was stopped in Lockerbie in southern Scotland. | |
The blockage means trains are being replaced by buses between Lancaster and Carlisle. | The blockage means trains are being replaced by buses between Lancaster and Carlisle. |
The incident will mainly affect Virgin passengers on the West Coast mainline, which runs from London to Glasgow. | The incident will mainly affect Virgin passengers on the West Coast mainline, which runs from London to Glasgow. |
Services between Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire and Bletchley in Buckinghamshire are suspended. | Services between Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire and Bletchley in Buckinghamshire are suspended. |
Virgin Train services travelling to London Euston will terminate at Milton Keynes with replacement bus services operating between Milton Keynes and Watford Junction. | Virgin Train services travelling to London Euston will terminate at Milton Keynes with replacement bus services operating between Milton Keynes and Watford Junction. |
Cranes damaged | |
A shuttle service will operate between Hemel Hempstead and London Euston. | A shuttle service will operate between Hemel Hempstead and London Euston. |
A Network Rail spokesman said both incidents happened during strong winds but investigations would be carried out into the exact cause. | A Network Rail spokesman said both incidents happened during strong winds but investigations would be carried out into the exact cause. |
Meanwhile, cranes at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk have been damaged after a ship broke free from its moorings during the strong winds. | Meanwhile, cranes at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk have been damaged after a ship broke free from its moorings during the strong winds. |
A motorist was taken to hospital after a tree landed on a car | |
And four people in a yacht had to be landed ashore by the Whitstable Lifeboat after the craft broke its mooring and went aground at Harty Ferry in the Swale, Kent. | |
Firefighters across England have had a busy night due to the strong winds. | Firefighters across England have had a busy night due to the strong winds. |
In East Yorkshire, a driver was taken to hospital after a car was hit by a tree which fell on the A165 Beverley to Driffield Road. | In East Yorkshire, a driver was taken to hospital after a car was hit by a tree which fell on the A165 Beverley to Driffield Road. |
Chimney stacks | Chimney stacks |
And in Scunthorpe, a woman was treated in hospital for neck pains after part of a stable was blown onto a car. | And in Scunthorpe, a woman was treated in hospital for neck pains after part of a stable was blown onto a car. |
Emergency services were also called to homes in Broadheath, Altrincham, Cheshire, after gusts of wind threatened to bring down chimney stacks. | Emergency services were also called to homes in Broadheath, Altrincham, Cheshire, after gusts of wind threatened to bring down chimney stacks. |
Residents living in up to 25 homes nearby were advised to move to local authority accommodation but only a few actually did so. | Residents living in up to 25 homes nearby were advised to move to local authority accommodation but only a few actually did so. |
Staff from Trafford Borough Council are due visit the homes during the day to assess any damage. | Staff from Trafford Borough Council are due visit the homes during the day to assess any damage. |
Humberside Fire Service was also called out to dangerous chimney stacks and roofing at properties in Bridlington, Hull, Grimsby and Cleethorpes. | Humberside Fire Service was also called out to dangerous chimney stacks and roofing at properties in Bridlington, Hull, Grimsby and Cleethorpes. |
Homes and businesses in Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire have been affected by power cuts. |