Travellers are still struggling with transport problems after a night of widespread storms caused flooding and power outages and toppled hundreds of trees.
Earlier there were no train services to or from Gatwick airport in West Sussex and power problems at its north terminal meant that only British Airways flights were departing.
But 11 BA flights have been cancelled and passengers have been told the power supply problems mean they will not be able to travel with their luggage.
The airline said bags will be sent to them as soon as possible but after Christmas Day, meaning many will have to choose between leaving Christmas presents behind or cancelling their trip altogether.
Fire crews rescued motorists from cars Pic: Dorset Fire and Rescue Service EasyJet, which is flying from the south terminal, has cancelled a 38 flights.
Passengers at the airport have complained of a lack of information and spoke of four-hour delays.
In Dorset fire crews rescued around 25 people from cars trapped in floodwater.
Fire control said rescuers helped get people out of stranded vehicles in the Sturminster, Blandford, Shaftesbury, Sherborne and Wimborne areas.
Some have been forced to leave their homes as water levels rise while many villages in the South East have found themselves under water. A severe flood warning has been issued for Leatherhead in Surrey.
The south of the country has had some respite from the stormy weather but parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland are still being battered by strong gales and heavy rains.
Engineers are working to restore power to as many as 130,000 homes across the country, with no guarantee the lights will be back on in time for Christmas Day.
UK Power Networks has said it will buy Christmas dinner for anyone who is still without power on on Wednesday.
A number of train companies were unable to run any early-morning trains and when services did eventually start they were subject to delays and cancellations.
Network Rail (NR) said more than 200 trees had come down on lines during the last 24 hours and there had been "a further 100 major incidents discovered on top of that".
The departures board at Waterloo station shows dozens of cancelled trains It added that in southern England the storm damage had been greater than that of the 'St Jude's Storm' a few weeks ago.
Customers are being advised to check the latest travel situation before starting their journeys.
Some 900 passengers were stuck on the Spirit of Britain ferry outside Dover for 15 hours as it was considered too risky to enter the harbour.
The ship left Calais last night and managed to dock safely at around 7.30am.
Shortly before the ship reached Dover, Digvijay Rathod told Sky News: "Many people haven't slept. I have 53 people to take care of. There are mothers, there are children who have been sick.
Flooded tracks in West Horndon, Essex, show the challenge facing rail firms "It's been a tough night - people just want to get home. We left Calais at 4pm and we were supposed to reach here within two hours."
The Environment Agency has issued hundreds of flood warnings across all of England and Wales, with a severe flood warning - the highest level warning of danger to life - in the South West, where properties are expected to flood.
People travelling on First Great Western's service from London Paddington to Devon and Cornwall were left stranded at Taunton in Somerset shortly before 1am because of flooding and signal problems.
Passengers described delays after leaving London before the service was terminated at Taunton with First Great Western then having to put people on buses and taxis to get them to their destination.
Tim Field from the Energy Networks Association told Sky News that it was not possible to promise that power would be restored to homes cut off by the storm in time for Christmas Day.
Families in Edenbridge, Kent, say water levels are rising in their street He said: "We've been able to restore about 60,000 properties yesterday evening and last night but with the storms that have come in, people are waking up this morning to find themselves without power.
"We've been facing some very difficult conditions. Fallen trees have brought down power lines and blocked roads, which has affected engineers' progress."
The Environment Agency Flood Line can be contacted on 0845 988 1188 for advice and up to date information.
Christmas Day is expected to be calmer with just a few wintry showers in the north and west, while Boxing Day looks mainly fine, but stormy conditions look set to return on Friday.
Passengers on a Calais to Dover ferry spent a miserable 15 hours at sea :: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Weather: Christmas Travel Plans Hit By Storms
Dengan url
http://belomtidur.blogspot.com/2013/12/weather-christmas-travel-plans-hit-by.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Weather: Christmas Travel Plans Hit By Storms
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Weather: Christmas Travel Plans Hit By Storms
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar