Scores of trees torn down on St Michael’s Mount and roofs ripped off buildings as Storm Goretti brings devastating hurricane-force winds

Britons were warned to expect a further foot of snow, flooding and icy conditions this weekend after tens of thousands of homes lost power during 100mph Storm Goretti.

Severe conditions caused school closures and travel disruption today with flights grounded at airports, roads blocked and large swathes of the rail network shut.

Now, the Met Office has issued fresh yellow warnings for snow and ice for tomorrow and Sunday as partially thawed snow refreezes before more blizzards arrive.

A combination of melting snow and rain will also increase the flood risk over the next few days, with the Environment Agency issuing 107 alerts and 14 warnings in England.

One new Met Office snow and ice warning covering most of Scotland and northern England runs from midday today until 3pm tomorrow with up to 15cm (6ft) set to fall.

A second yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of western England and Wales from midday today until midday tomorrow; while a third across Northern Ireland for snow and ice will come into force from 5pm tonight and run until 11am tomorrow.

A separate snow and ice warning on Sunday will be active for much of Scotland and the North of England from 2am until 3pm with another 30cm (1ft) accumulating.

Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold weather health alerts for all of England until Monday, warning of a ‘rise in deaths’. 

The wild weather brought 99mph winds overnight while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for ‘dangerous’ winds in South West England yesterday.

National Grid said 64,000 properties across England and Wales were without power this morning, including 48,000 in the South West and 15,000 in the West Midlands.

Birmingham and East Midlands airports both had to suspend operations due to the heavy snow, while all trains in Cornwall and many others in the North were axed.

The sky turned pink in areas of Birmingham this morning following the ‘weather bomb’, after the central pressure in the area of low pressure fell rapidly yesterday.

Roads were also closed due to fallen trees following a week of severe conditions that has seen villages in Scotland cut off and temperatures falling to nearly -15C.

People in Cornwall were urged to work from home this morning, with the council advising residents to avoid travelling due to the large number of closed roads.

Those in the red warning area have revealed their terror at the strong winds, with one watching plastic cracking and another having to hold their window shut.

Melissa Thomson, who co-owns the Garrison Holidays campsite on the Isles of Scilly, told BBC News: ‘It was horrendous. We couldn’t even go in our bedroom.

‘If you put your hand on a window you could feel it. Plaster was cracking and the creaking from the roof was horrific. It felt like the roof was going to fly off.’

Harry Williams, who lives in Sennen Cove, Cornwall, also told the BBC: ‘There was an hour where I was apprehensive, and I’m a surfer so I’m used to putting myself in danger. I had to hold on to this window, and couldn’t hold it shut.’

The Met Office said Storm Goretti brought a peak gust of 99mph to St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly, which was the highest recorded there since 1991.

The highest accumulation of snow in Wales was 15cm (6in) at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys; while England had 7cm (3in) at both Nottingham and Preston Montford in Shropshire.

Wider accumulations have been recorded, as well as higher unofficial totals from non-Met Office observations. In Scotland, 27cm (11in) fell at Altnaharra in Sutherland, 26cm (10in) at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm (8.7in) at Durris in Kincardineshire.

The lowest UK temperature recorded overnight was -13.3C (8.1F) at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

While the influence of Storm Goretti will reduce through today as it gradually moves towards mainland Europe, the system is expected to bring more rain to eastern England.

The Met Office said conditions would gradually improve with a ‘period of respite for many on Saturday with some sunny spells at times’, despite the further snow in northern areas and Wales.

But forecasters said this calmer period for many will be ‘relatively short-lived, as another front arrives from the west on Sunday’, bringing the risk of further snow.

Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said: ‘Following on from a Saturday which will be largely dry away from northeastern parts of Scotland and England, a front from the west on Sunday will bring snow for parts of Scotland and northern England with low temperatures continuing the ice risk.

‘A further 2cm to 5cm of snow is possible to accumulate at low levels within the warning area on Sunday, with 10cm to 20cm possible over higher ground.

‘With much of this falling in areas that have already seen severe snowfall, ongoing disruption is likely. Those in central and southern England and Wales will see this fall as rain, in what will be a wet Sunday for many.’

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) raised concerns about a combination of melting snow and rain increasing the flood risk for some areas.

In a statement issued by the Met Office, Sepa’s flood duty manager David Morgan said: ‘As temperatures rise following recent cold conditions, thaw of lying snow from Sunday onwards will increase the risk of flooding.

‘Possible impacts could include flooding of low lying land, roads and individual properties.’

The Met Office said temperatures will return closer to average for most through next week, with a south-westerly regime dominant – although there could be more unsettled weather at times as low pressure continues to influence the weather.

The Government was urged to convene a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to respond to Goretti.

Gideon Amos, Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington in Somerset, said: ‘The Government’s Cobra committee must urgently be convened to ensure fast help is delivered across the region.

‘The South West is routinely overlooked by the Government, but we cannot be ignored in this time of need.’

Downing Street said support was being offered to homes left without power by the storm.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘We have well-rehearsed plans in place for winter weather. We are currently working with teams from local authorities, the emergency services and other public bodies to respond to the disruption.’

He added: ‘The latest data I have is that around 0.21% of British customers are without power.

‘Engineers and staff are working to reconnect them as quickly as possible. The latest numbers I have is approximately 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far.

‘Separately, the National Grid is working with local resilience forums to open local community centres and warm spaces in the areas worst impacted by the storm, offering food and accommodation for those who need it today and across the weekend.

‘Welfare vans in south-west England will also be available to those who require additional support and the British Red Cross is also providing extra assistance to the most vulnerable customers.’

Following the storm, Birmingham Airport said in an update at 7.30am that its runway had reopened with a reduced service but urged passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.

It said: ‘Our runway has reopened on a reduced basis, and our teams are working to get passengers away as efficiently as possible.

‘Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience Storm Goretti has caused, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority Passengers due to travel are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline.’

East Midlands Airport said at 6am that its runway had reopened after being closed overnight due to heavy snow on the runway, but passengers were warned delays may linger throughout the day.

British Airways cancelled 25 departures and 27 arrivals scheduled to operate at London’s Heathrow Airport today. The vast majority of affected flights were on short-haul routes.

Cornwall Council advised residents to avoid travelling this morning.

It said: ‘Roads and public transport remain disrupted this morning as we deal with the aftermath of Storm Goretti. Please avoid travelling if you can.’

It added: ‘A large number of roads are still closed due to fallen trees, downed power lines and debris. Our teams are working around the clock to clear them, and we ask that you give crews the space they need to carry out urgent repairs safely.’

All trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6pm yesterday, Network Rail said. 

In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.

Rail services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day today due to the weather, National Rail said.

Avanti West Coast said ‘do not travel’ advice was in place on its Midlands routes until 1pm today.

The train operator, which runs services on the West Coast Main Line, said: ‘An amended timetable will operate across all routes from 0700 until 1500, when we currently expect services to return to normal.

‘We strongly recommend travelling outside these times if possible.’

West Midlands Railway said it has suspended all services, adding: ‘We are unable to operate any services until the afternoon.’

No rail replacement road transport is being provided because of ‘uncertain road conditions’, it added.

London Northwestern Railway said it had suspended services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street until this afternoon.

Its services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston were reduced.

Train operator Transport for Wales said it will not run services on the majority of its routes today.

They include: Llandudno Junction to Llandudno; Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog; Wrexham to Bidston; Craven Arms to Swansea (via Heart of Wales Line); west of Carmarthen; Maesteg to Ebbw; Hereford to Shrewsbury; Shrewsbury to Birmingham International; and Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth.

Its other routes will have a reduced service all day.

Chiltern Railways, which plans to operate around half of its normal timetable, said it was not running services north of Birmingham Moor Street or on the line to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Stations at Hatton, Lapworth, Kings Sutton, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Sudbury & Harrow Road and South Ruislip will also not be served today.

Rail replacement buses will not be in operation, Chiltern said in a statement on its website.

The statement added: ‘Customers should check before they travel today, as services may be subject to disruption due to the impact of Storm Goretti. Services may be further amended at short notice.’

A number of East Midlands Railway (EMR) services will be affected by snow today.

EMR said the Hope Valley, the line between Sheffield and Manchester, will be closed all day.

A number of other lines, including between Nottingham and Lincoln and between Leicester and Nottingham, will be closed until at least 10am today.

The train operator said: ‘Please check your journey before travelling today. Heavy snowfall has impacted our regional routes with some services starting later than usual.’

National Highways said three out of four northbound lanes of the M1 motorway were closed between Junction 28 for Mansfield and Junction 29 for Chesterfield following a crash involving a lorry.

Recovery of the lorry had started and specialised winter fleet vehicles were en route to clear snow which settled in the closed lanes.

Drivers faced delays of up to half an hour as congestion stretched for four miles.

National Highways also said the A30 in Cornwall was closed in both directions between the A394 at Longrock and the A3074 at St Erth ‘due to a large number of trees that have fallen and are blocking the road’, with Devon and Cornwall Police assisting at the scene.

Meanwhile the A628 Woodhead Pass connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire remained closed in both directions between the A616 for Flouch and the A57 for Hollingworth because of snow.

Drivers were advised to use the M60, M62 and M1 as an alternative route.

Derbyshire County Council said some of the highest roads in the Peak District have been closed since last night.

The roads that remain closed this morning are parts of the A57 Snake Pass, the A54/A537 Cat and Fiddle, the A6024 Holme Moss, the A53 Axe Edge and the A5004, Long Hill.

The council said: ‘Our fleet of gritters, fitted with snowploughs, have been out on the main roads all through the night. They will continue to do this throughout the day.

‘We won’t have been able to get to any smaller roads so far. In the north of the county, where we closed five of our highest roads last night, we’ll go and take a look at those later this morning.’

National Highways also said the A30 in Cornwall is closed in both directions between the A394 for Longrock and the A3074 for Longstone because of ‘a large number of fallen trees that are blocking the road’.

It added that specialist crews are working to clear the trees from the carriageway.

Services on the West Midlands Metro tram network were unable to operate in Birmingham this morning due to a fallen tree.

A statement issued by the network said: ‘Due to fallen trees along our tram line, no service is running between Wednesbury Great Western and Edgbaston Village.

‘Our civils team are working to remove the trees safely so that we can resume service as soon as possible.’ 

The closure means trams are operating between Wolverhampton Station and Wednesbury Great Western only.

Bus operator National Express West Midlands said all services were suspended until at least 8.30am ‘due to difficult road conditions and low temperatures’.

Ferry operator DFDS said all its sailings between Dover and France were disrupted.

A statement read: ‘All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel. Please check-in as normal, we will transfer all passengers onto the first available sailing on arrival. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.’

Stoke-on-Trent City Council warned of the ‘worst snowfall in a decade’ and reassured residents it had not run out of grit after ‘misinformation’ began to circulate.

It said: ‘We are now facing the worst snowfall we have faced in 10 years. The Met Office has predicted that we could have 3.5in of snow and temperatures as low as – 4C on Thursday into Friday morning. As a result, we are carefully managing our resources and stock of salt.’

The statement added: ‘Unfortunately, we have been made aware of some misinformation circulating regarding the council’s salt supplies and gritting operations. It simply isn’t true that we have run out of grit.’

The storm, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, was described as a ‘multi-hazard event’ by the Met Office, with as much as 30cm (1ft) of snow possible in parts of the UK.

Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly yesterday, which is a new record for the site, the Met Office said. 

Weather warnings were issued for snow, wind, rain and ice across the country, ahead of likely ‘disruption and dangerous travelling conditions’.

Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: ‘Storm Goretti will be a multi-hazard event, with the most significant impacts from snow in parts of Wales and the Midlands and the very strong winds in the far South West, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many.’

A yellow warning for wind was issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast, while a yellow warning for snow covers swathes of England from Bath to Northumberland.

Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow ran until 9am today covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire.

About 10cm (4in) to 15cm (6in) of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm (1ft) on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District.

Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales announced they would be closed today where the amber weather warning was issued.

A yellow warning for snow and ice was also in force across much of Scotland, where more than 250 schools remained closed today, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, plus a number in Moray.

The red warning, which was in place until 11pm yesterday, warned of damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.

Brits living in Cornwall and the surrounding areas received a government alert on their phones yesterday, warning them of the severe conditions.

The Met Office’s website says amber weather warnings are issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.

Yellow warnings are issued for a range of weather situations, including when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places, or when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower, according to the Met Office.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Council defended its gritting after Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume said she was ‘concerned’ about untreated routes and pavements after snow caused coastal areas to grind to a ‘halt’.

Business owners also said they had to clear pavements, but the council told BBC News that it had prioritised the ‘treatment of both major and local roads, as well as key transport links’ and cleared footpaths in busy areas.

Labour MP Ms Hume said: ‘Businesses have told me that they’ve had cancellations because customers are unable to walk on the pavement to the premises.

‘A garage has had to cancel all their staff because no one can get their cars in, another business told me that on Saturday 11 out of 14 bookings, probably another five to six walk-ins, they’d missed.’

‘Staff still have to be paid, of course, but there’s no money coming in the front.’

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney will visit the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) Amey depot in Aberdeen today to hear about recovery efforts as part of the wider ongoing response to the severe weather in northern Scotland.

All ‘priority one’ routes in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands are open, but Traffic Scotland confirmed snow gates remain closed on the B974 Bridge of Dye, and many local routes remain affected.

Rail lines around the country have now reopened, with the northern section of the Far North Line between Brora and Wick/Thurso being finally cleared of snow yesterday evening.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop welcomed the news, posting on social media: ‘Thank you Network Rail Scotland – huge effort in very challenging conditions.’

Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a ‘good chance’ some rural communities would be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts.

Ministers attended a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room yesterday afternoon, after which Justice Secretary Angela Constance provided an update on recovery efforts.

‘Following five days of amber warnings and hugely challenging snow and ice conditions across northern Scotland, progress to fully recover continues,’ she said.

‘However, there are yellow weather warnings in place overnight for most of Scotland, and with Storm Goretti set to affect other parts of the UK and a cold but still unpredictable weather picture for Scotland over the weekend, it is clear that impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days.’

Mr Swinney also emphasised that the focus has now turned to recovery efforts. 

He said: ‘We’ve had a period of really intense and heavy snowfall in certain parts of Scotland, particularly the North East, the Highlands and the Northern Isles and the Western Isles, and the Government has been closely engaged with local resilience partnerships throughout that series of amber warnings, and those amber warnings have gone on for a prolonged number of days.

‘The challenge with the snow has been, quite simply, the volume, and we’ve had formidable resources available in the North East and in the Highlands to clear transport routes on the trunk roads and also on the rail network, which is the responsibility of the Government.’

He added: ‘We are, however, thankfully, in a position where we are able to focus more on recovery than dealing with the immediate incident, and that very much is the focus of all local resilience partnerships, and the Government is supporting with the reallocation of resources where that is possible to do so.’

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: ‘We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.

‘Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.’

Meanwhile employers are being urged not to punish workers who cannot get to the office because of the bad weather.

The TUC said people should not be forced to take excessive risks by making dangerous journeys in the storm currently battering parts of the UK.

Firms should have clear weather policies to set out what staff should do when snow and ice, or a lack of public transport, prevents them from getting to work, said the union organisation.

When snow causes transport problems it makes sense for employers to enable staff to work from home if possible, said the TUC.

General secretary Paul Nowak said: ‘This will be a stressful time for many people, especially with forecasters sounding the alarm.

‘Employers must show basic common sense and understanding.

‘No-one should be pressured into making dangerous journeys and workers shouldn’t be punished with lost pay or forced to take holidays because the weather makes travel impossible.

‘Good bosses will already have bad weather policies in place so staff know where they stand. They will also recognise that when schools are closed some parents will not be able to work as they have to care for their children.’

Stranded dog rescued from icy water by lifeboat team after fleeing from his owner and hiding under pier

A stranded dog has been rescued from icy water by a lifeboat crew after getting out of its collar and hiding under a pier.

The dramatic rescue unfolded after a three-year-old Border Collie was startled by a loud noise and slipped his collar, fleeing from his owner.

The owner was left waiting in bitterly cold and wet conditions hoping her Collie, named Karoo, would return to the last place she saw him.

Karoo was eventually pulled to safety by a lifeboat crew beneath Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight.

This followed a search carried out by volunteers for Drone Search and Rescue (SAR) For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight.

The Collie had been taken to the town by bus to get used to public transport during quieter times, but a sudden loud noise startled him and he slipped his collar and fled.

A spokesperson for Drone SAR For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight said: ‘The search quietly began, in order not to scare Karoo, who had made his way back towards the bus station – but got it a bit wrong and ended up underneath Ryde Pier.

‘Wightlink [ferry] staff heard barking, located him and immediately called the Coastguard.’

Bembridge Inshore Lifeboat was tasked to the rescue, and Karoo was found beneath the pier and brought aboard the lifeboat at 10:30pm.

The Drone SAR For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight spokesperson said that ‘Karoo, although very wet and cold, recovered well from his experience’.

The Collie was monitored overnight for signs of secondary drowning, but is now recovering well after being reunited with his owner.