Storm Causes Major Headache For Commuters

Transport services including trains, planes and ferries have been cancelled or disrupted after a severe storm struck the southern half of the UK.

More than 200 trees fell on railway lines across the South and the South East, with Network Rail saying its engineers would be working to remove them "as soon as possible".

East Coast Trains said fallen power cables and flooding at the southern end of its network had caused delays and cancellations to services and urged passengers not to travel, while First Capital Connect told its passengers there would be "no services until further notice".

Passengers at London Waterloo were going nowhere fast

Other operators including Greater Anglia Trains, East Midlands Trains and C2C Trains suspended services until at least 12pm because of fallen trees and damage to overhead power lines.

Hurricane-force winds and heavy rain also caused disruption on the roads, with a number of major routes affected.

Both Severn estuary crossings were closed, as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and the Sheppey Crossing in Kent.

A tree on the tracks at Keymer, West Sussex. Pic: Network Rail/Twitter

A lorry overturned on the M11 in Essex, the A2 was shut in west Kent because of the number of fallen trees and flooding affected parts of the M6 in Merseyside.

Countless local roads were also closed, as emergency services and council crews worked to remove trees and other debris.

Meanwhile, rough seas caused the Port of Dover to suspend ferry crossings temporarily, while Brittany Ferries cancelled services between Plymouth and Roscoff, Poole and Cherbourg and Portsmouth and Bilbao.

The clean up begins in London. Pic: madebymartha/madebymartha/Twitter

More than 130 flights were cancelled from Heathrow airport, although Gatwick said it was operating a "near normal service".

Among the transport operators affected by the storm are:

Trains

:: Southern Railway was not able to resume services, including the Gatwick Express, at 9am as planned because of a large number of trees obstructing the line.

:: South West Trains has warned people not to travel at all on Monday and will be running a "significantly reduced timetable".

:: Southeastern Railway is running a high speed service between Ashford and St Pancras International but warned passengers the service would be "very busy". Its metro and mainline routes are suspended because of the number of branches and trees on the line.

:: East Coast Trains said disruption was expected throughout the day between London Kings Cross and Peterborough because of overhead line problems.

:: Greater Anglia Trains services including the Stansted Express will be suspended until at least 12pm because of damage to overhead power lines and trees on the line.

:: First Capital Connect has said it has "no indication of when services will resume" but warned some routes may remain closed all day.

:: London Overground services have been suspended.

:: East Midlands Trains has suspended services between Bedford and London St Pancras because of fallen trees. Travel is not expected to resume until at least 12pm.

:: C2C trains are suspended until 12pm because of the amount of debris on the track.

:: Eurostar cross-channel services are running, although speed restrictions are in place.

Planes

:: Heathrow airport has cut capacity for all airlines on Monday, including a 20% reduction between 6am and 11am. About 130 flights have been cancelled and the airport recommends all passengers contact their airline.

:: Gatwick said it was operating a "near normal service", while Stansted, Luton and Bristol airports have not yet announced any cancellations.

Ferries

:: Brittany Ferries has announced cancellations between Plymouth and Roscoff, Poole and Cherbourg and Portsmouth and Bilbao.

:: The Port of Dover has reopened after a temporary closure, although passengers are urged to contact their ferry operator before travelling.

:: Ferries have been cancelled between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.

Roads

:: The Highways Agency has issued a severe weather alert for high-sided vehicles, caravans, motorbikes and other vulnerable vehicles.

:: Both crossings over the Severn estuary were closed but have since reopened.

:: Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, the southbound Dartford Crossing, is closed with traffic diverted through the tunnel.

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