UK weather: Eurostar trains from London cancelled after tunnel floods – as UK braces for more extreme conditions
Eurostar trains to and from London have been cancelled as more extreme weather in the wake of Storm Gerrit disrupts travel plans.
No high-speed services are expected to run between Ebbsfleet International, in Kent, and London St Pancras International today because a tunnel under the Thames is flooded.
UK weather: The latest Sky News forecast
A railway tunnel has flooded near Ebbsfleet International Station. Pic: Southeastern Rail
Eurostar, which runs services from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, said all 41 trains to and from the capital on Saturday have been cancelled.
The operator said it was “extremely sorry” after thousands of people were left stranded at St Pancras and advised people not to travel to the station.
Simon Calder, travel editor for The Independent, told Sky News: “Many desperate people are paying hundreds of pounds for flights, others are planning to get the bus.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Eurostar travellers on travel chaos
Newlyweds Christopher and Nicole Carrera had planned to spend New Year’s Eve at Disneyland Paris but their plans have been thrown into chaos by the cancellations.
Mrs Carrera, from New York, said: “We’ve been in London since Wednesday and we wanted to leave today because we were actually supposed to go to Disney Paris tomorrow for New Year’s Eve.
“So obviously those plans our ruined because now we won’t get into Paris tomorrow until about 6pm. So we’re just going to walk around the city (Paris) tomorrow when we get there and finally get to our hotel. It’s just one of those things.”
Eurostar trains have been cancelled
Nicole Carrera’s plans to visit Disneyland Paris have hit a roadblock
The flooding, in a tunnel near Ebbsfleet International, is also disrupting Southeastern Railway trains and the operator’s managing director Steve White said there is “no timescale” for when the problem will be fixed.
A Thames Water spokesperson said the flooding is believed to have been caused by a fire control system rather than one of its pipes, although a technician has been sent “to offer support to control the flow of water”.
Engineers working on the tunnel said water levels are reducing, but warned the volume of water in the tunnel is “unprecedented”.
There was also major disruption to Thameslink services through London and across the South East due to “a shortage of train crew” which will continue into Sunday, the operator said.
Speed restrictions are in place on the West Highland Lines until 9am on Sunday due to the forecast, Network Rail Scotland said.
More weather warnings issued
Gusts of up to 75mph could hit parts of the south of England and Wales on Saturday, the Met Office warned, while northern Scotland could see “significant snow”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
UK braces for more extreme conditions
A yellow weather alert for wind has been issued for parts of the South East, South West, East Anglia and Wales from 11am on Saturday until 3am on New Year’s Eve.
A separate yellow warning for rain has been issued across part of Wales between 10am and 6pm on Saturday.
In Scotland, a yellow weather warning is in place for much of the country for rain and snow until midnight.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A plane struggling to land during Storm Gerrit
The Environment Agency has issued more than 30 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and almost 100 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in England.
‘Difficult day to travel’
Meteorologist Craig Snell said it will be a “difficult day to travel”.
“It’s going to be another unsettled day. We’ve got heavy rain moving across the north west of the country, with snow falling in higher areas of Scotland,” he said.
“Rain will move across the rest of the UK tonight.
“We’re likely to see gusts of 50mph in Wales and southern England, with the most exposed areas getting wind speeds of 65-75mph.
“There could be some road closures if branches come off trees.”
Snow falls covering the roads and footpaths in the Shawlands area of Glasgow
SSEN teams carrying out repairs. Pic: SSEN
Storm Gerrit
It comes after much of the UK was impacted by Storm Gerrit.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said it had restored power to almost 48,000 homes since the storm hit.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Disappointed’ Eurostar passengers in France face delays
In Wales, 36,000 properties have also contended with outages after lightning struck in Ceredigion.
And in Greater Manchester, residents in Stalybridge, Tameside, and Carrbrook are still recovering from a freak tornado that toppled trees and damaged homes.
The whirlwind was thought to have been caused by a supercell thunderstorm.
All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.
Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.
“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”
But passengers continue to feel the effects.
A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.
And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.
Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.
Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.
“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”
Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted
Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
One passenger was on a plane when they found out.
They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.
“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”
Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.
“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”
It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.
“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.
“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”
There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.
It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.
Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”
The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.
An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.
A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.
Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.
It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.
Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre
Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.
“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”
Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024