Storm Boelo to bring second day of travel disruption and gusts of up to 80mph

Storm Boelo continues to batter the UK with wind and rain, causing serious travel disruption across much of the country.

Travellers on the West Coast Main Line have been urged to avoid riding the train north of Preston, as Avanti runs a reduced timetable in the area.

Speed restrictions are in place for all rail routes in Scotland while some services in the west and far north of the country have been cancelled entirely.

All of Scotland, except Orkney and Shetland, and a large chunk of northern England are currently under an amber warning for wind.

The Met Office warns gusts reaching 80mph could hit coastal areas, with winds of 60 to 70 mph more widespread across the area.

Yellow warnings for wind and rain are also in place over a wider area, including Northern Ireland, northern Wales, and northern England including Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.

Some train services between Manchester and Liverpool have been delayed or cancelled this morning due to a tree on the line.

Network Rail has also posted an image of a large tree blocking a train line near Dumfries, in the south of Scotland.

Among the other operators impacted by the storm are Northern, London Northwestern, West Midlands, Merseyrail and Transport for Wales.

Lumo has told passengers on their west coast route that they can use services tomorrow with the same tickets, even though today’s trains are still scheduled to run.

Beyond trains, ferry operator P&O cancelled its sailings between Cairnryan in Scotland and Larne in Northern Ireland at 8am and 12pm.

Thousands have been left without electricity across the island of Ireland, including more than 2,000 homes in Northern Ireland.

Four flood warnings and 18 flood alerts are currently in effect across Wales, while Scotland has 11 flood alerts and 34 flood warnings.

The Met Office’s amber wind warning for Scotland and northern England lasts until 9pm today.

It says driving in the conditions can be dangerous ‘for yourself and other road users’, and suggests people ‘stay indoors as much as possible’ and avoid walking close to buildings or trees.

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