Storm Bronagh disrupts travel with strong winds and heavy rain
Blustery winds and heavy rain caused severe disruption for commuters across England and Wales after Storm Bronagh blew in overnight with gusts of up to 76mph.
Bronagh brought heavy rain as it swept across the country a day after two people were killed during severe weather.
Sheffield saw nearly half a month’s rain fall in 24 hours, and images posted on social media showed flooding on a number of roads and at the city’s train station overnight. More than half a month’s rain fell in Sennybridge, Wales.
Speed restrictions were in place for many trains across the network in England and Wales due to high winds, which were forecast to reach between 45 and 50mph across much of the country.
Commuters in Wales faced some of the most severe delays, after Bronagh caused flooding on the lines between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth, and near Mountain Ash.
A landslip in the Dinas Rhondda blocked the railway line between Ystrad Rhondda and Porth, and a fallen tree near Carmarthen also resulted in disruption.
Travellers in England also experienced problems, particularly in the southern regions.
Some Southeastern services were delayed following a train hitting a tree at Maidstone East early on Friday morning, and services in the South West were operating with delays on a number of routes thanks to fallen trees and the enforced speed restrictions.
The Met Office warned motorists to be aware of the poor weather conditions.
Somerset Council Highways reported dealing with 22 fallen trees overnight, and Suffolk Highways told Twitter followers they were dealing with a tree on the road near Hemingstone.
The A1 near Gonerby Moor in Lincolnshire was closed for a period on Friday morning as recovery crews removed a lorry that had left the carriageway, while flooding on the M6 at Crewe forced a slip road to be closed for several hours.
Overnight a gust of 76mph was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, while winds could reach up to 60mph during the day on Friday, particularly on the north-west coast of England.
In south-west Wales there were 12 flood warnings in place on Friday morning, with nearly 40 flood alerts issued across the country, while there were individual warnings in place in Staffordshire, Chesterfield and South Yorkshire, with more than 30 alerts across the north of England and West Midlands.
Met Office forecaster Rachael West told the Press Association: “Storm Bronagh is moving towards the North and East and we are going to continue to see strong, blustery and gusty north-westerly winds.
“We are looking at gusts of between 45 and 55mph across the UK and associated with that some heavy showers with some hail and thunder.”