Several flights bound for Leeds are being diverted as strong winds and heavy downpours continue to batter the UK.
Passengers heading fromBelfastInternational Airport toLeeds Bradford Airportat 3pm today via easyJet were dragged to Manchester instead.
The severe winds lashing Leeds were well ‘outside the limits of the aircraft’, a spokesperson for the budget airline said.
The roads aren’t exactly fairing any better. Congestion is already building on the M4 near Bristol and Heathrow Airport and on the M6 near Crewe.
Avanti West Coast trains between Edinburgh and London Euston, CrossCountry services from Manchester to Bristol and London Northwestern Railway were among those hit by delays and cancellations after a mystery object was caught in the overhead wires in the Midlands.
It comes after the Met Office said that the upcoming yellow weather warnings could bring travel disruption on rails and roads as the UK could see up to 100ml of rainfall over the next couple of days.
Flights being grounded, delayed or diverted left, right and centre in Leeds
Josh Milton
Strong winds are lashing Leeds right now, which is spelling bad news for passengers.
According to the flights page on the Leeds Bradford airport website, several incoming flights have been diverted to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and the East Midlands.
Among the impacted flights an easyJetspokesperson said: ‘Flight EZY047 from Belfast International toLeedsBradford has diverted to Manchester due to strong winds at Leeds outside the limits of the aircraft.
‘The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our highest priority and we are working to assist customers with options for onward travel from Manchester this afternoon.’
Departs have been impacted too. with several cancelled or delayed.
Traffic builds on M6 and M4 after collisions
Noora Mykkanen
Congestion is building on the motorways as rush hour gets underway.
The M6 and M4 have been hit with collisions on both motorways.
M6
One out of three lanes was closed northbound between junctions J15 and J16 between Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe.
National Highways alert warned of 40-minute delays against expected traffic in the area.
M4
Traffic is heavy heading towards the Prince of Wales and Severn Bridges on the outskirts of Bristol.
Congestion is the worst westbound between junctions J19 and J21, with drivers facing delays of 30 minutes.
How railways are coping ahead of rush hour
Noora Mykkanen
Today’s rush hour could get sticky across the rail network after incidents affecting services.
Here are all the disruptions currently wreaking havoc on train travel, although not all are weather-related.
Object caught in overhead wires
This is affecting the line between Stafford and Wolverhampton, meaning the line towards Wolverhampton is blocked.
Passengers face cancellations, delays of up to 40-minutes and revisions, with disruption expected until 4.30pm.
These lines are affected.
- Avanti West Coast between Edinburgh / Glasgow Central and London Euston
- CrossCountry between Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol Temple Meads / Bournemouth / Paignton
- London Northwestern Railway between Liverpool Lime Street and Birmingham New Street
Tree blocks the railway
While lines have now reopened after a fallen tree at Portchester, services between Fareham and Cosham could still be axed, delayed by up to an hour or changed.
The issue is expected to last until 5.30pm, National Rail said.
Here are the affected routes and services.
- Great Western Railway between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour
- Southern between Southampton Central and Brighton
- South Western Railway between Southampton Central and Portsmouth & Southsea / London Waterloo, and also between Fareham / Portsmouth Harbour and London Waterloo
Crash on M4 causes long delays on motorway
Noora Mykkanen
Drivers have been warned of long delays on the M4 near Swindon after a crash.
It happened westbound between junctions J14 and J15 shortly before 2pm.
Congestion is stretching for 3.5 miles on approach, causing 45-minute delays.
It comes as heavy rain is sweeping across the south of England and Wales today and tomorrow. The Met Office has warned of possible delays and disruption on roads and rail.
— National Highways: South-West (@HighwaysSWEST) September 5, 2024The #M4 westbound between J14 (#Hungerford) and J15 (#Swindon), lanes 1 and 2 (of 3) are closed due to a collision.
There is currently approx. 3.5 miles of congestion on approach, causing delays of 45 minutes above usual journey times. pic.twitter.com/4X6JXI21o6
Severe delays on Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines
Katie Boyden
The three Tube lines are severely delayed because there’s an obstruction on the track at Farringdon.
TfL are trying to remove the obstruction.
They say there’s good service on the rest of the line, and that London Buses are accepting tickets.
Disruption on trains at London Bridge
Noora Mykkanen
An issue at London Bridge is hampering train service to and from the busy station.
A train departing at the station ran into trouble, forcing other trains to run at a slower speed while an investigation was carried out.
Southern and Thameslink services are affected until 12 noon as service recovers after all lines reopened.
Trains could be delayed by up to 15 minutes, National Rail warned.
Delays on M4 near Heathrow after congestion
Noora Mykkanen
Drivers have been warned of half an hour delays on the M4 in Hounslow caused by heavy traffic.
The latest National Highways alert shows slow or stationary traffic eastbound between junctions J3 and J2 towards central London.
Normal traffic conditions are expected by 10.15am.
Flights cancelled and delayed at Heathrow
Noora Mykkanen
Several flights have been cancelled and delayed at Heathrow Airport today.
British Airways is among the carriers which has axed flights.
These flights have been cancelled this morning according to the airport departure board.
British Airways BA726 at 8am to Geneva
British Airways BA1476 at 10.15am to Glasgow
KLM KL1006 at 11.45am to Amsterdam
British Airways BA197 at 2.50pm to Houston
British Airways BA316 at 3pm to Paris
British Airways BA566 at 3.03pm to Milan
The following flights are displayed as delayed on the departure board.
British Airways BA484 at 8.55am to Barcelona
Lufthansa LH901 at 9.30am to Frankfurt
Virgin Atlantic VS047 at 9.55am to New York City
American Airlines AA087 at 10.05am to Chicago
British Airways BA1436 at 10.40am to Edinburgh
British Airways BA394 at 11.55am to Brussels
British Airways BA454 at 12.05pm to Malaga
British Airways BA714 at 12.20pm to Zurich
British Airways BA518 at 12.50pm to Lisbon
British Airways BA816 at 12.55pm to Copenhagen
British Airways BA632 at 1.15pm to Athens
Looking ahead: London Tube closures planned for this weekend
Katie Boyden
Here’s a full list of the TfL Tube closures planned for September 6-8.
This is in addition to the Waterloo & City line, which only runs on Monday to Friday.
Friday, September 6
- London Overground:Changes to Stratford to Richmond / Clapham Junction services on Friday 6 September: The 2159 train from Stratford to Richmond will terminate at Camden Road at 2219. The 2317 train from Richmond to Willesden Junction will not run.
- Changes to Barking Riverside to Gospel Oak services on Friday 6 September: The 2303 train from Barking Riverside to Gospel Oak will terminate at Upper Holloway at 2338.
Saturday, September 7:
- District:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Turnham Green and Richmond.
- DLR:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Bank / Tower Gateway and Canning Town /Lewisham, also between Stratford and Canary Wharf.
- London Overground:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction.
- Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Richmond / Shepherds Bush and Gospel Oak.
- Northern line:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Golders Green and Edgware (including Friday and Saturday Night Tube).
- Tram:Saturday 7, from 0000, and Sunday 8 September, no service between Mitcham Junction and Wimbledon.
Sunday, September 8
- District:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Turnham Green and Richmond.
- DLR:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Bank / Tower Gateway and Canning Town / Lewisham, also between Stratford and Canary Wharf.
- Elizabeth line:Sunday 8 September, until 1400, a reduced service operates between Paddington and Heathrow / Maidenhead.
- Sunday 8 September, from 0040 until 0700, no service between Paddington and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3.
- London Overground:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction.
- Sunday 8 September, no service between Hackney Downs and Chingford.
- Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Richmond / Shepherds Bush and Gospel Oak.
- Northern line:Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, no service between Golders Green and Edgware (including Friday and Saturday Night Tube).
- Tram:Saturday 7, from 0000, and Sunday 8 September, no service between Mitcham Junction and Wimbledon.
Maps show yellow weather warnings for rain in place today and tomorrow
Katie Boyden
Bear these in mind if you’re concerned about travel disruption caused by the upcoming heavy rain.
National Rail issues warning over heavy rain affecting trains until Friday
Katie Boyden
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for southern England and south Wales until Friday, 6 September.
The forecasted weather may cause trains to be disrupted:
- Heavy rainfall can cause flooding that results in tracks being underwater and embankments being damaged, causing potential landslips
- Flooding can affect points and signalling equipment, which allow trains to move from one line to another
For South Western Railway customers specifically, services between Axminster and Honiton will run at a reduced speed from 2-7pm today.
This measure is necessary for safety reasons following a landslip at Honiton Tunnel earlier this year.
Services between Axminster and Exeter St Davids will be subject to significant delay, and some services will be subject to alteration.
