STORM CIARA CHAOS
Ferries and trains cancelled and roads closed for floods and landslide:
STORM Ciara wreaked havoc across North Wales on Sunday, with communities flooded, homes evacuated, roads closed, trains and ferries cancelled, and a roof blown off a building.
Winds hit 93mph in Aberdaron, 89mph in Capel Curig, 70mph in Valley, 69mph in Bala, 67mph in Hawarden and 58mph in Rhyl, while heavy rain sparked major flooding with Conwy county and parts of Denbighshire worst hit.
Several major routes were closed due to the strong winds and flooding.
The A55 Britannia Bridge was shut for much of the morning and remained closed on Sunday night to lorries, bikes, caravans and motorcycles.
However, Traffic Wales had to issue a stern warning to lorry drivers who were allegedly ignoring the closure.
Traffic Wales tweeted: “WARNING TO LORRY
DRIVERS I can’t stress the importance of following our safety advice. Several warnings have been issued to HGV’s to use Menai Bridge however some are still ignoring the warning signs. The consequences for not following these advisories could be dire”
The A5 between Llyn Ogwen and Nant Ffrancon was closed for more than seven hours after the conditions caused a landslide.
Floodwater gushed in to homes and businesses in Llanrwst after the River
Conwy overflowed sending water cascading down the streets.
One resident described them as “the worst floods I have ever seen here”, with sandbags arriving too late for some.
The floodwater was so strong that some residents struggled to open their doors to get out of their home, while cars parked outside the Co-op were sent crashing into each other.
Nearly 50 people were moved from their homes in St Asaph – with several unable to return.
Residents at Llys y Felin, Mill Street and Spring Gardens Caravan Park were told to leave their homes after the River Elwy burst its banks.
While many have been able to return to their properties, police said those living at the caravan park would be rehomed for the night due to floodwater contaminating domestic water supplies.
A large part of the roof on top of the former Llandrillo College building on Crown Lane in Denbigh was also ripped off as
Storm Ciara sparked major disruption in the region.
Other road closures included the A525 in St Asaph, A470 at Llanrwst, the Flintshire Bridge, A496 between Barmouth and Dolgellau, and the A5104 in Treuddyn.
Roads around Beaumaris, Llangoed, Colwyn Bay, Old Colwyn and Llanfair TH were also badly affected by flooding.
Drivers were asked to avoid Mostyn Champneys Retail Park in Llandudno due to signage falling from buildings.
Several ferries between Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled due to the weather, leaving many Wales Six Nations rugby fans stranded.
Many train services have been cancelled in North Wales throughout the day due to the weather.
Transport For Wales cut a number of services ahead of Storm Ciara arriving, with no trains running west of Llandudno on Sunday. There were also a string of power cuts across the region as a result of the storm.