More than 46,000 homes in East Anglia are without power after snow and severe gales hit much of the UK, causing widespread travel disruption and the closure of many schools.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for very strong winds for most of England. Gusts of more than 80mph were recorded. A separate yellow warning for snow and ice in western Scotland and Northern Ireland was extended to cover northern England.
Snow forced all schools in the Scottish borders to stay shut, while more than 100 were closed in County Durham, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. Electricity cuts from wind-damaged power lines forced the closure of more than 30 schools in Norfolk.
High winds also forced the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge across the Thames in Dartford, causing delays on the M25. In Cambridgeshire, drivers were advised to travel only if necessary after lorries were blown over on the A47 and A11. In Suffolk, the Orwell Bridge on the A14 was briefly closed.
Tibenham, in south Norfolk, recorded gusts of 83mph, while wind speeds of more than 70mph were also reported in Somerset, Lincolnshire and Suffolk.
Police in Surrey, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, and Lincolnshire responded to reports of a large number of fallen trees.
C rota are heading home after cutting several trees clear this morning, and B rota taking over the challenge. pic.twitter.com/xmoLcG2VaS
— RPU - Surrey Police (@SurreyRoadCops) January 18, 2018
Alex Burkill, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “It’s going to be a cold and blustery day with further showers, especially in the north and west. There is likely to be disruption to travel so before you head out it’s worth taking a look at the state of the roads you will be travelling on.”
The weather also affected the railways. Overhead electric wires were damaged between Wolverhampton and Stafford in the Midlands, and trains from East Anglia into London’s Liverpool Street were disrupted by an object blown into overhead electric cables near Stratford. There was a similar problem on the line between Ipswich and Colchester.
Passengers were advised to expect delays to and from Manchester Piccadilly, between Birmingham New Street and Crewe, through Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Redditch.
In Wales, a freight train hit two sheds that had blown on to the line between Newton and Welshpool, causing cancellations.
Overnight temperatures dropped to -7C (19F) in Loch Glascarnoch, in the Highlands. Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway recorded up to 36cm of lying snow, while Spadeadam in Cumbria had 23cm after 20cm fell on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday, persistent snow and ice caused hazardous driving conditions and brought the M74 in Scotland to a standstill. During the night, Police Scotland issued a “stage four” warning, advising drivers to avoid roads in areas covered by amber snow warnings. This was later downgraded to stage three to warn motorists of a high risk of disruption in the morning.
