UK And Ireland Brought To Standstill: Which Routes Are Affected By Snow And Ice?

UK And Ireland Brought To Standstill: Which Routes Are Affected By Snow And Ice?

Commuters are facing another day of disruption as the weather continues to cripple the UK and Ireland’s travel networks.

Several roads remain impassable and have been closed, and drivers have been warned not to travel unless absolutely essential.

Train services and flights have also been affected.

Here are some of the latest reported issues:

Roads

The A303 in Devon has been closed between the A30 and the A358, with Avon and Somerset Constabulary declaring a “major incident” due to stranded vehicles.

The A38 in Devon was also shut, between the A379 and A380. Highways England said a large number of vehicles were struggling to pass through due to “extremely hazardous road conditions”.

Two separate collisions closed the M2 eastbound in Kent, between junctions 3 and 4, while the A46 in Gloucestershire was shut between the A4 and M4 due to severe weather conditions and “a number” of stranded vehicles.

In Warwickshire, a lorry crash closed the M40 southbound between junctions 14 and 12.

High winds were particularly affecting the North West on Friday morning, and the M62 remained closed between junctions 24 and 21, while surrounding roads such as the A62, A618 and A66 were also shut.

In the North East, the A1 was closed between the A192 and the Scottish border, while the A19 in County Durham was shut near Hartlepool due to “several” incidents, Highways England said.

In Scotland, the A68 was shut southbound after Jedburgh, and the A9000 Forth Road Bridge was closed in both directions.

Trains

Train services will be cancelled and delayed across nearly all operators on Friday, with many urging passengers no to attempt to make journeys.

All cross-border trains between England and Scotland remain suspended.

The West Coast Main Line is closed between Carlisle and Scotland, with no trains or replacement buses.

Virgin Trains East Coast is pleaded with passengers “not to travel” on the entire East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland.

No trains will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh on Friday.

ScotRail said train lines will need to be tested on Friday morning to check if they are safe, which means there will not be any services in the worst affected areas during the morning peak.

Southeastern will continue to run a modified timetable on Friday as heavy snowfall is expected in the South East during the afternoon and overnight into Saturday.

Flights

The impact of the weather on flight schedules will be even more severe on Friday with hundreds of flights already cancelled.

Heathrow, the world’s busiest two-runway airport, will see at least 322 departing or arriving flights cancelled, representing a quarter of all scheduled services.

Airlines were asked to reduce their flights at the west London hub following discussions with airport officials and air traffic control provider Nats.

The high demand for slots at Heathrow means there is very little slack during normal operations and therefore the number of flights has to be cut during disruption.

Dublin Airport will see at least 331 cancellations on Friday, and 95 planned Edinburgh Airport services will not operate.

The number of Friday cancellations stands at 67 at Glasgow Airport, which was closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Almost 5,000 flights have been cancelled to or from European airports since Tuesday, meaning many UK travellers are now stranded abroad.

A spokesman for travel trade organisation Abta said: “Customers who are overseas and whose flight arrangements are delayed or cancelled should liaise with their tour operator or airline regarding changes to their travel itineraries and new flight arrangements.

“If their flight is in the European Union or their airline is an EU carrier, customers will be entitled to food, refreshment and overnight accommodation or a refund of proportionate costs and will be flown home as soon as is possible at their airline’s expense.”

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