Storm Bert: Weather warning brings travel disruption across Cumbria and Scottish Borders

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Storm Bert is battering the country with strong winds, heavy rain and snow and ice with amber warnings coming into force bringing a "potential risk to life."
Storm Bert is battering the country with strong winds, heavy rain and snow and ice with amber warnings coming into force bringing a "potential risk to life." Credit: PA Images

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for snow and ice for parts of Scotland and northern England, with a “good chance some rural communities could be cut off”.

Amber warnings mean there is the potential for risk to life and property.

“Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers” the national weather service said.

The amber alert for heavy snow and ice is in force between 7am and 5pm on Saturday in areas across Scotland, where 10-20cm is likely on ground above 200 metres and potentially as much as 20-40cm on hills above 400 metres.

(PA Graphics) Credit: PA Graphics

The warning covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and some of the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

P&O Ferries said it had cancelled the 4am sailing between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland’s south west on Saturday.

In Scotland, there are speed restrictions on the West Highland Line, Highland Mainline, Stranraer line, Glasgow South Western Line, Far North Line, and West Coast Mainline between Carstairs and the border.

ScotRail has withdrawn services from Inverness to Elgin, Aberdeen to Inverurie, and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban while trains from Glasgow Central to Carlisle will terminate at Dumfries.

TransPennine Express “strongly” urged customers not to travel north of Carlisle on Saturday while Avanti West Coast advised passengers not to travel north of Preston – including Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Electricity North West engineers attend to an overhead power line in Cumbria damaged by Storm Bert. Credit: Electricity North West

Electricity North West say they restored power to around 4,000 properties in the Workington and Penrith areas after damage to overhead lines due to flying debris and ice.

Alan Astall, head of network control for Electricity North West, said: “We were well prepared and had all our resources lined up to repair damage and restore power where needed.

"The network has held up well and our automatic restoration systems have kicked in in many areas, rerouting power to customers while engineers carry out repairs."