Heavy rain and strong winds hit transport links across country

Travellers across the UK have been hit by a day of disruption on transport networks caused by unseasonable heavy rain and strong winds.

Ferry passengers heading into Dover faced delays of five hours as tug boats battled the weather to guide them into port.

P&O Ferries said adverse weather had disrupted scheduling, and promised to get passengers on the first available vessel once they had checked in.

One passenger reported floating outside Dover for thee-and-a-half hours along with five other ferries waiting for permission to dock.

Stephen Deadman, from Nottingham, told PA: “We should have arrived in Dover 11.15am local time but we got off the boat at 4pm.

“[It was] a quick journey across Channel but we stopped four miles from Dover.”

Mr Deadman, who was returning from Europe with his family after a two-week holiday, added: “At one point there were five boats waiting. We were kept informed and it wasn’t too rough on board.

“I’ve no particular problem with the authorities. The wind was very bad and the captains of the ferry and tug boats did a great job in difficult conditions.”

Gareth Doodes, a headmaster at a Dover school, filmed the ships trying to get into port from the white cliffs.

He told PA: “It was quite an interesting thing to watch. They were docking the ships and making sure everyone was safe.”

Elsewhere, flooded tracks forced train operators to cancel services between Cumbria and Scotland in a day of disruption on the rail network.

Flooding between Penrith and Lockerbie forced operators to suspend services on Saturday afternoon.

Network Rail Scotland tweeted images of the rails about a foot under water and said five trains had been trapped between Lockerbie and Carlisle.

Services between Carlisle and Glasgow Central or Edinburgh have since resumed but passengers were warned their train might be delayed or cancelled.

Many other routes have also been hit with delays caused by hazards on the lines.

Multiple lines were disrupted due to trees on the track, including Ashford International and Hastings, Guildford and Reading, Newbury and Westbury and between Ipswich and Lowestoft.

The majority have been cleared although delays continue.

Speed restrictions have also been imposed, particularly in coastal areas, where wind speeds were forecast to hit 60mph.

Network Rail has urged passengers to check for updates before they travel.

A yellow weather warning for strong wind will be in place across England and Wales until midnight, while Scotland is covered by a yellow thunderstorm warning until the same time.

Drivers were advised to check routes carefully before they travel.

Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “For the rest of the day it will stay quite windy across England and Wales, there is a yellow weather warning in place until midnight tonight.

“We’re likely to continue to see gusts of 40mph to 50mph, perhaps closer to 60mph nearer to the coast.”

He said the heavy rain and thunderstorms across northern England and Scotland would continue for the rest of the day, with further heavy rain forecast until about mid morning on Sunday.

A yellow rain warning will be in force until 10am on Sunday in the Glasgow area.

Across the rest of the country, the weather is expected to be much more settled on Sunday with showers and some patches of sunshine coming through.