Flights and trains hit as Doris batters the capital with winds of up to 60mph
SCORES of trains and flights were cancelled and delayed today as Storm Doris battered London with gale force winds of up to 60mph and was officially declared a “weather bomb”.
Parts of the capital were placed on amber alert by Met Office forecasters and the London Fire Brigade was called to a number of weather-related incidents this morning with a tree falling on a house in Chiswick. There were no reports of serious injury.
Train operators Chiltern, Gatwick Express, Southern, Southeastern, South West Trains and Thameslink all reported varying degrees of disruption with London Midland and the East Coast Main Line also affected. Services from St Pancras suffered delays and cancellations this morning after damage to overhead cables in the St Albans area. It was a second successive day of travel chaos for many following staff walkouts yesterday on Southern Railway and parts of the Tube.
Dozens of flights in and out of Heathrow were subject to cancellations and delays, with the airport flagging 77 flights as cancelled on its website.
Gatwick was also hit by delays while Aer Lingus cancelled almost all services to the UK from Ireland.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “Strong winds and poor weather across the UK have resulted in approximately a 10 per cent reduction to Heathrow’s flight schedule.
“With Heathrow operating at more than 99 per cent capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights and as a result some passengers may experience disruption to their journeys today.”
Elsewhere in the country a 94mph gust of wind was recorded at Capel Curig, north-west Wales, and a 13-yearold boy was taken to hospital after he was hit by a falling tree in Bristol. He escaped with minor injuries.
The Met Office officially declared the storm a “weather bomb”, or “explosive cyclogenesis” — a meteorological phenomenon when pressure falls rapidly. A Met Office forecaster said: “Generally north of the river is where the winds will be strongest and up to 50-60mph.
‘We are putting a 50mph speed limit in place to reduce the risk should trees get blown on tracks’ Network Rail
We could see disruption on the roads as trees are brought down. Rail and flights are also likely to be affected and our advice would be for people to check before they set off.
“We’re expecting the winds to continue until this evening before Storm Doris passes over the Continent.”
Andy Derbyshire, chief operating officer, Network Rail South East route, said: “We are putting a 50mph speed limit in place when winds are strongest to limit the risk to passengers and staff should trees or other objects get blown onto the tracks.
“This is part of our standard planning for stormy weather, but it will mean changes to journeys for some passengers.”
Southern passenger services director Angie Doll said: “I’m sorry but these speed restrictions will mean that we won’t be able to run our full service on some of our routes, with cancellations and delays likely across the Southern network.” Richard Leonard, head of road safety at Highways England, said: “We’re expecting Storm Doris to have a significant impact on the roads throughout the day so are urging drivers to consider changing their plans if necessary and to slow down in stormy weather.”
The Met Office’s amber weather warning states that “whilst the strongest winds look to be only short-lived, damage to structures, interruptions to power supplies and widespread disruption to travel networks are likely, with a danger of injury from flying debris”.
The worst of the weather was expected to be gone by tonight with tomorrow set to be calm and sunny.
AA spokesman John Snowling said: “Wind can also bring down tree branches, blow you off course or blow other vehicles into your path. Some roads will be treacherous.”