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“Hundreds” of train passengers were left queuing for cabs to Scotland and a school had to source its own coach after rail cancellations on Monday night. 

Stand-up comedian James Nokise was among the passengers ordered off the Avanti West Coast train at Preston station in Lancashire.

With many passengers still upwards of 180 miles from their destinations of Glasgow and Edinburgh, the train company arranged taxis to drive them through the night.

But staff from a Glasgow school had to order their own coach to take 50 pupils home as they were too young to travel in taxis without an adult.

Nokise told Sky News he was expecting they might be put on buses but “in my wildest imagination I didn’t think they would put us in black cabs and send us to another country”.

“It just seemed crazy,” he said.

Giving live updates on X, formerly known as Twitter, Nokise said passengers were initially told they could get on another train to Glasgow – but it turned out to be full and so left without them. The next train was also cancelled.

He wrote: “It turned out there were no more trains ‘North’ after that and, excitingly, no forthcoming information.

“Some people stood staring at the screens. Some people queued to ask the one ticket booth worker the same question everyone else was. No one knew anything.”

He said the lack of information was the most frustrating thing, and he picked up more details from fellow passengers than the train company.

‘If that sounds ridiculous, it was’

Around 9.20pm, they were told other transport had been arranged.

“Bus? An extra train? Horses? No. Taxis. For hundreds of people. To a city 3 and 1/2 hours away,” Nokise said.

Nokise was travelling to Edinburgh while other passengers were bound for Carlisle, Glasgow and Dundee.

“All of us queued to be taken away 3-7 people at a time. And if that sounds slow and ridiculous, it was.”

He told Sky News there were “old people, people with babies, people with disabilities” – and all had to wait outside in the cold.

Nokise got a black cab from Preston to Edinburgh with three other men, arriving five hours late – after a journey that involved a near-miss with a minivan, unreliable GPS and a “real motion-sickness nightmare of a road”.

School pupils ‘effectively stuck’

Staff from Greenfaulds High School found their own coach after being told they were “effectively stuck” at Preston station with no way to get their pupils home from a trip to London.

In a message to Avanti on X, the school wrote: “We have been able to resource, on our own, a coach to take us home.

“If we had not, we would have 50 young children abandoned on the streets of Preston once the station closes.

“Apologies from your wonderful staff here are kind but not enough. Very poor.”

However they praised a local takeaway who delivered 60 portions of chips to the station “for a fraction of the real cost”.

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‘We fully understand the frustrations’

After arriving at Preston at 6.30pm, they finally made it to Greenfaulds station at around 2.30am. Sky News contacted the school for comment but was told staff on the trip were off for the day after their late arrival.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said the cancellations were due to the West Coast Main Line being closed for more than three hours because of a track defect.

“Whilst alternative transport and overnight accommodation was sourced for most of those impacted we fully understand the frustrations of those customers whose journeys were affected, and we are extremely sorry for this.”

“Anyone who was affected by last night’s disruption will be entitled to compensation and are urged to get in contact through our normal channels to process their claim.”

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Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

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Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

A body has been found in the search for 23-year-old runner Jenny Hall. 

She was last seen leaving her home in Barracks Farm, County Durham, in her car just after 3pm on Tuesday.

Police said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances after a body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale on Sunday morning, five days after she went missing.

Jenny Hall. Pic: Durham Constabulary
Image:
Jenny Hall went missing on Tuesday. Pic: Durham Constabulary

“We’re sorry to report that officers searching for missing woman Jenny Hall, have sadly found a body,” Durham Constabulary said in a statement.

“Officers carried out an extensive search alongside specialist partners and have been working around-the-clock to locate Jenny after she went missing on February 18.

“The body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale just after 9.30am today.

“Formal identification has yet to take place. Jenny’s family have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers. They have asked for privacy at this devasting time.

“It is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A major police search was launched after Ms Hall’s disappearance.

Her car, a red Ford Focus, was found on Wednesday parked on the B6278, near remote moorland between Eggleston and Stanhope.

Mountain rescue teams, specialist drones and sniffer dogs had been combing the Hamsterley Forest and the surrounding areas, where there are a number of running trails, this week.

Digital intelligence officers also carried out extensive inquiries into Ms Hall’s mobile phone, smart watch and running apps.

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Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

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Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

A fresh amber weather warning for heavy rain has been issued by the Met Office – with much of the UK already on alert for high winds and showers.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and the UK’s west coast and the Midlands have yellow warnings for wind on Sunday – meaning the possibility of transport delays and short-term power cuts.

There are also rain warnings in place for several parts of western UK.

The new amber warning has been issued for rain in south and central Wales and is in force from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

An amber warning means danger to life from floodwater, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, and there is a chance some communities will be cut off.

Winds across the west of the UK will increase throughout the morning with gusts up to 70mph in exposed areas, the Met Office said.

Zoe Hutin, a meteorologist at the forecaster, said Sunday is expected to be the “worst day” before conditions improve.

“The wind warning itself for the mainland UK ends at 6pm, but we can expect to continue to see quite blustery conditions even into the evening as the mainland rain itself pushes through.”

She added: “By the time people get up on Monday, we’ll still have some of the residual rain from that front in the far south-east of the country, and quite cloudy across England as well.

“But actually elsewhere, it could be a decent start.”

The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for much of England and Scotland came into force at 6am and are expected to run until 6pm on Sunday.

A separate yellow warning for Northern Ireland came into force at 3am and runs until 3pm.

Rain and high winds are expected across the west of the UK
Image:
Rain and high winds are expected across the west of the UK

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People who have noticed some slightly higher temperatures the last couple of days may be dismayed at the latest predictions.

“Through the week, those temperatures are trending back down,” Ms Hutin said.

“And so it will be getting cooler each day, but they will actually just be recovering to around average for the time of year. So it won’t be cold.

“It will just be returning back to where we would expect to be for this time of February.”

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Starmer says ‘US is right’ about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

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Starmer says 'US is right' about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security.

The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent.

“Instability in Europe always washes up on our shores,” he said.

“And this is a generational moment. I’ve been saying for some time that we Europeans – including the United Kingdom – have to do more for our defence and security. The US is right about that.”

He added “we can’t cling to the comforts of the past” as it is “time to take responsibility for our security”.

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Donald Trump sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders this week after he said European NATO members should spend more on defence, while the US should spend less.

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Sir Keir has said he will set out a path for the UK to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, up from the current 2.3%, but has not indicated when that will be.

It is believed he may announce the details when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC on Thursday, bringing forward the announcement that was expected in the spring when a defence spending review is published.

The prime minister reiterated the UK will “play our role” if required in Ukraine following a peace agreement after he earlier this week said the UK would send troops to be part of a peacekeeping force.

Pic: AP
Image:
Sir Keir will meet Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday. Pic: AP

However, his comments caused a row with Germany and Italy who said it was premature to commit to boots on the ground, although France agreed with the UK.

Sir Keir said: “As we enter a new phase in this conflict, we must now deepen our solidarity even further.”

He added: “There can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine.

“And the people of Ukraine must have long-term security.”

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This week has seen US officials meet their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine – which has been met with indignation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as none of his team were invited.

No Europeans were invited either, sparking concern the US is pandering to Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir has promised Mr Zelenskyy he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty when he meets with Mr Trump, who has called the Ukrainian president a dictator.

Mr Trump also said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit the White House too this week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.

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