Authorities warn of continued extreme weather
14th December 2011
Authorities in Scotland and the North of England have issued warnings following the extreme weather than has battered the North of the UK in the past two days.
People were advised to stay indoors and not travel unless absolutely necessary, as strong winds and rain are posing a risk to pedestrians and drivers alike.
If you are concerned about being caught out while driving, take out breakdown cover for re-assurance you wouldn’t be stranded in harsh weather conditions.
The Met Office has issued a red alert – its highest warning – and has advised many schools, roads and bridges to close.
Winds have so far reached up to 165mph, leaving over 50,000 people without power to their homes. The harsh weather is expected to continue over the weekend.
Experts are predicting winds of up 90mph in the next two days and have warned of blizzard conditions for the North of Scotland.
Parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland have also been affected by the extreme weather. There have been no fatal casualties as a result of the storms, but many people have had to be rescued by the emergency services.
Three people were rescued by a helicopter in North Yorkshire when their car was swept into a swollen river by the wind.
It was also reported that more than 300 passengers were stranded aboard the Rotterdam-Hull ferry, after it was unable to dock amid fears of damage to the P&O ship.
Travel services have also been severely disrupted in North UK. Flights to Scottish airports were delayed, and Network Rail imposed a 50mph speed limit on its trains.
Network Rail Managing Director for Scotland, David Simpson told BBC News; "We will have over 350 engineers out on the network, working to keep the railway running.
"However, the extreme nature of the conditions, and the impact they can have on our infrastructure, means that a speed restriction is necessary in the interests of safety."
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