Storm Bert: Stock up on food & water, Brits told as warnings for heavy snow, 70mph gales & floods cover nearly ALL of UK

BRITS have been warned of “severe” travel chaos as “multi-hazard event” Storm Bert batters the UK with 70mph winds, heavy snow, rain and flooding.

The Met office has issued seven yellow and two amber weather warnings covering large parts of England, Wales and Scotland today.

It comes after temperatures plummeted to a bone-chilling minus 4C across parts of Scotland and minus 1C in eastern England last night.

And now “blizzards” are set to hit today, with train companies scrapping services, several major road closures, and ferry cancellations.

In Scotland, there will be speed restrictions on the West Highland Line, Highland Mainline, Stranraer line, Glasgow South Western Line, Far North Line, and West Coast Mainline between Carstairs and the border.

ScotRail has also withdrawn services from Inverness to Elgin, Aberdeen to Inverurie, and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban while trains from Glasgow Central to Carlisle will terminate at Dumfries.

Elsewhere, South Western Rail (SWR) urged passengers to only travel west of Basingstoke if their journeys are essential with longer journey times between Salisbury and Exeter, as well as routes from Bournemouth to Weymouth.

And, TransPennine Express “strongly” advised customers not to travel north of Carlisle today.

Avanti West Coast also warned passengers not to travel north of Preston – including Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

On the roads, National Highways issued a “severe weather alert” as nationwide travel chaos unfolds.

In Yorkshire, the A628 remained closed overnight in both directions between the A616 Hollingworth and the A57 Flouch due to snow.

The A66 Trans-Pennine route was closed between the A6 and the M6 (J40).

The M48 Severn Bridge has also closed in both directions due to current wind speeds, National Highways announced this morning.

Drivers have been advised to seek “alternative routes” including the M60, M62 and M1.

Further south, the A14 is closed in both directions from J36 to J37 as a result of a “serious collision between three cars”.

One of the vehicles is reported to have rolled and there is “no indication” of how long the closure will remain in place.

There is a further warning for the North East in its entirety, with road bosses predicting “three to five hours of heavy snow” which will “accumulate quickly at all levels”.

RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson warned drivers to be aware of “rapidly changing conditions” on the roads because of Storm Bert.

“Persistent downpours will lead to areas of standing water, so it’s important to keep speeds down as the risk of losing control through aquaplaning on a thin layer of water is far greater,” she said.

“Drivers should also be very wary of puddles as they can sometimes hide dangerous potholes beneath that can cause expensive damage to vehicles.

“Strong winds increase the risk of debris falling into the road which makes journeys more challenging, particularly in exposed coastal areas where drivers might be at risk of being buffeted off course.

“Routes in Scotland, especially rural ones, look likely to face disruption from fresh snow that is forecast on Friday and Saturday.

“We encourage motorists to stick to major roads where possible and take extra care in the worst-affected areas.

“Those who have to drive should stay tuned to weather forecasts and allow plenty of time to de-ice and de-mist your vehicle, as it’s dangerous and illegal to drive looking out of a small gap in a frozen windscreen.”

Ferry operator CalMac, which serves the west coast of Scotland, axed several services today in anticipation of travel chaos.

P&O Ferries confirmed the 4am sailing between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland was also scrapped today.

It comes as the Met Office issued an amber alert for heavy snow and ice is between 7am and 5pm today in parts of Scotland.

Anywhere from 10 to 20cm is likely on ground above 200 metres, and potentially as much as 40cm on hills above 400 metres.

The weather warning covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and some of the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

It has seen Perth and Kinross Council cancel their annual Perth Christmas lights switch-on event for safety reasons.

More than 54 schools were also shut in the Highlands yesterday due to snow, with 27 closures in Aberdeenshire.

South of the border, at least 37 schools were shut in Devon, and three in Dorset.

A second amber warning will be in place between 7am and midday on Saturday covering parts of Yorkshire and the north east of England.

Christmas light switch-ons being held in the Midlands including the Ironbridge lights switch-on, have also been postponed.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “We’ll see two to four hours of heavy snow across parts of northern England and Scotland during Saturday morning.

“This snow will accumulate thick and fast, with five to 10cm at lower levels and as much as 20 to 40cm over hills accompanied by strong winds.

“You can expect blizzards over hills across northern England and Scotland, atrocious conditions for travelling and going over the hills and also the risk of power interruptions because of snow build up on power lines.

“So all in all, a multiple hazard event as we go into Saturday morning.”

But, there will be a “rapid thaw” by the afternoon as warmer air arrives from the Atlantic.

This could spark “localised flooding”, where the worse affected areas are predicted to be Wales, and the south west.

Over the weekend, these higher risk areas could see 75mm of rain widely, and potentially more than 100mm over the higher parts of South Wales and Dartmoor.

Rain warnings cover much of Wales from 6am on Saturday until 6am on Sunday, and south-west England from 6am on Saturday until 11.45pm.

Parts of Dartmoor and South Wales could even see up to three months worth of rain over the weekend.

The Environment Agency has also issued 13 flood alerts were flooding is possible.

This morning, they have been issued for: 

• Chertsey Bourne
• Ginge Brook
• Lower River Calder 
• Middle River Aire
• North Sea coast at Bridlington 
• River Churnet and River Tean 
• River Gowy and areas around Frodsham 
• River Sow and River Penk
• South Devon coast from Start Point to Dawlish Warren
• Tern and Perry
• Rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne
• Upper River Aire
• Upper River Calder 

Meanwhile the southern coast is expected to be battered by gusts of more than 70mph in places.

A wind warning covers coastal areas of southern England from 3pm until 9pm on Saturday.

And, the same alerts also covers Scotland from 5am until 7pm today.

Elsewhere, rain and snow warnings cover northern England from 4am to 9am, and Northern Ireland from midnight on Friday until 11am today.

British Gas have warned it is advisable to stock up on food and water as Storm Bert arrives.

The company said: “It’s a good habit to have at least three days’ worth of food and essentials stored in an easy-to-reach part of your home.

“That’s things like medicines, drinking water, non-perishable food and snacks and extra blankets.”

“You should also keep a torch, batteries and a phone charger close by too,” they added.

People have been urged to “stay well clear” of power lines.

UK Power Networks said: “Our electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can affect overhead power lines.

“We urge the public to stay well clear from power lines, and anyone spotting a damaged power line should report it to us immediately by calling 105.” 

And, at least 60,000 homes, farms and businesses have been left without power due to Storm Bert, ESB Networks has said. 

“Crews are mobilised in impacted areas and responding to faults where it is safe to do so,” it said.

“ESB Networks teams are closely monitoring the storm impact on power supplies and all available resources remain on alert.”