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| High winds disrupt rail services | High winds disrupt rail services |
| (20 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. |
| Network Rail said services around Shap would not resume before Monday. | Network Rail said services around Shap would not resume before Monday. |
| Virgin Train and Transpennine West customers are being urged to find alternative routes. | Virgin Train and Transpennine West customers are being urged to find alternative routes. |
| Track damage | Track damage |
| 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 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 Met Office said it had recorded a gust of 66mph in the area but added a funnelling effect could have meant stronger winds. | The Met Office said it had recorded a gust of 66mph in the area but added a funnelling effect could have meant stronger winds. |
| The freight train driver did not notice the containers, which were empty but still weighed between two and four tonnes, until he was stopped in Lockerbie, southern Scotland. | |
| Freight operators Freightliner said the containers would have been locked onto the wagons and that this is the first time this has happened since the company was formed. | Freight operators Freightliner said the containers would have been locked onto the wagons and that this is the first time this has happened since the company was formed. |
| The blockage means trains are being replaced by buses between Lancaster and Carlisle and between Preston and Glasgow. | The blockage means trains are being replaced by buses between Lancaster and Carlisle and between Preston and Glasgow. |
| 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 | 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 | 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. | 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. | Homes and businesses in Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire have been affected by power cuts. |