Storm Bert: Travel disruption as heavy snow hits North East and North Yorkshire
Gregg Easteal reports on the early morning travel disruption caused by Storm Bert
Flights have been disrupted at Newcastle Airport as Storm Bert brought heavy snow to the North East.
The airport’s online departure board shows many flights set to depart this morning have been delayed, while the 9.30am British Airways service to Heathrow was cancelled.
The live arrival board shows flights diverted to Belfast and Edinburgh.
The airport posted on X: “Due to Storm Bert, the airport has had continuous, heavy snow this morning.
“Our snow team is operational and are working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum and we will provide a further update later this morning.
“Passengers are advised to visit our website for the latest flight information and to contact their airline directly if they have any queries.”
North Yorkshire Police advised people against travelling due to the volume of snow, saying they had dealt with eight vehicle crashes before 9am on Saturday morning.
Nexus, who operate the Tyne and Wear Metro, said trains were running to all destinations, but advised passengers to expect gaps in service, due to the conditions. They advised those wishing to travel to take extra care at stations due to possibly slippery platforms.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council announced that Redcar's planned Christmas lights switch on on Saturday night had been cancelled due to concerns about the stormy conditions expected that evening. In a statement the council said, "Storm Bert hits the UK this weekend and is bringing high winds, with gusts of up to 45mph, to Redcar. This means that not only are we are unable to set our stage up, but that the conditions are unsafe for our parade participants and audiences.
Unfortunately, the structures and stages used for the event are not available for us to reschedule the Redcar event before Christmas.
Our events team are now working incredibly hard to try and move some of the fantastic entertainment and performances to Christmas events across the borough, including moving the amazing Illumination parade to Guisborough’s Christmas festivities on December 3".
National Highways has issued a “severe weather alert” for snow affecting Yorkshire and north-east England with “blizzard conditions” expected and up to five hours of heavy snow set to “accumulate quickly at all levels”.
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.