Storm Jocelyn: Commuters given 5-hour warning to travel before winds wreak havoc

Train companies have urged Anglo-Scottish travellers to make their journeys early as Storm Jocelyn approaches

Train companies have warned against travel between England and Scotland on Tuesday afternoon as Storm Jocelyn is set to lash the UK with heavy downpours and winds of up to 80mph.

The Met Office has issued amber and yellow weather warnings for winds covering most of the UK, together with yellow warnings for rain covering parts of western and southern Scotland, and north-west England.

It comes just a day after Storm Isha left thousands of people without power and caused havoc on roads, trains and planes as the UK was blasted by intense rain and winds of up to 107mph.

The severe weather has prompted TransPennine Express, the intercity train operator in northern England and southern Scotland, to issue a “do not travel” notice.

The state-run company is “strongly urging customers travelling to/from Edinburgh/Glasgow not to travel after 3pm on Tuesday 23 January”. Services are expected to be restored at midday on Wednesday.

High winds and heavy rainfall are set to cause major disruption to services in and out of Scotland.

The company says: “Services across the rest of the network are expected to be impacted, we strongly recommend you check before you travel and plan ahead.”

A fallen tree on the line at Arrochar & Tarbet (Network Rail Scotland) (PA Media)

In addition to that Avanti West Coast has urged Anglo-Scottish travellers to make their journeys early – and warned that none of its trains will run across the border between Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon.

The rail firm, which connects London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland, says: “The last scheduled service from London Euston to Glasgow Central departs at 3.30pm (5.41pm from Preston) and is expected to be extremely busy.

“The last trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh will leave before 5pm. Our train service to and from Scotland is expected to resume no earlier than 12 noon on 24 January.

“Tickets to or from destinations north of Preston dated 23 or 24 January can be used at any time, and up to and including Thursday 25 January.

Avanti also warns: “Journeys in the northwest of England may take longer due to speed restrictions.”

Rough seas rock boats in Dun Laoghaire harbour as Storm Isha hit the UK on Monday (Irish Coast Guard - Dun Laoghaire)

ScotRail services across Scotland will be suspended from 7pm and there will be no rush-hour services on Wednesday, the railway operator has said.

Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland, said: “Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail from Tuesday into Wednesday morning.”

Ferry passengers in western Scotland are also facing widespread delays and cancellations as Storm Jocelyn approaches.

All ferries linking Oban with Barra, Coll and Tiree are cancelled on Tuesday. The last ferry between Uig on Skye and Tarbert on Harris is due to arrive at 10.05am.

On the key link from Stornoway on Lewis to Ullapool on the mainland, the afternoon departure from Stornoway is cancelled.

A fallen tree lies at a bus stop, during Storm Isha, in Linlithgow, Scotland (REUTERS)

“Strong winds and sea swell” are blamed for the cancellation all day of the ferry between Mallaig and Armadale on the isle of Skye. The bridge to the island from Kyle of Lochalsh remains open.

Travellers on the link between Ardrossan in Ayrshire and the isle of Arran face major problems. All sailings on Tuesday are cancelled due to a “technical issue combined with strong winds forecast on Tuesday afternoon”. Passengers are warned:

“Due to the ongoing technical issue combined with weather forecast, this service will be liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.”

After hundreds of flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted by Storm Isha, airlines are also preparing for more disruption during Storm Jocelyn.

British Airways has cancelled 10 domestic and European flights on Tuesday due to storm disruption: most to and from London Heathrow, with a return trip from London City airport to Rotterdam also grounded.

Fallen branches from trees in the Shawlands area of Glasgow, cover parked cars and the pavement following gusts from Storm Isha (PA)

All the departures and arrivals are on routes that have frequent services, with passengers accompanied on other flights.

A BA spokesperson said: “Like other airlines, we have had to make schedule adjustments due to the adverse weather conditions across the UK and Europe caused by Storm Jocelyn.

“We’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible.”

Ryanair, has warned of “potential disruptions to/from the UK due to Storm Jocelyn”. Europe’s biggest budget airline said: “Affected passengers will be notified. We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions, which are outside of Ryanair’s control.”

Loganair, the Scottish airline, says it intends to operate all scheduled flights – but is offering passengers booked on Tuesday or Wednesday the chance to rebook on an alternative flight up to seven days from the original travel date free of charge.

“Please note that unless your flight is cancelled, no refund will be offered for any operating service,” the carrier says.