Eurostar trains are set to resume this morning after “unprecedented” flooding in a tunnel brought travel chaos for thousands of people – as a severe weather warning was issued for large parts of the UK on New Year’s Eve.
Eurostar said all services would run to Paris, Brussels, London and Amsterdam on Sunday – but warned there could still be delays and packed stations.
Southeastern and Thameslink rail are also predicting serious disruption.
In London and the south, winds are expected to strengthen, while scattered, blustery showers are expected to develop throughout the day, possibly thundery along southern coasts.
Some brighter spells are possible between showers.
Many were forced to frantically arrange a last-minute flight, ferry or road journey – with some people’s holiday plans ruined.
A man in St Pancras was seen holding an iPad reading “taxi to Paris”, while images showed the track near Ebbsfleet in Kent being deluged by a burst pipe.
Thames Water said it believed it was caused by a “fire control system and not a Thames Water pipe”.
However a spokesman for HS1, which operates the track, said: “The source of the flooding will be the subject of an investigation, but at this stage we have no evidence to suggest that the fire control system was related to the issue in any way.”
Eurostar said trains would soon resume after the problem was “brought under control”, adding that it was “sorry for the inconvenience”.
“At least one tunnel can now be used”, it announced, while still warning “some speed restrictions” in the morning could cause more delays and “very busy” stations.
Image: Passengers were left stranded at a packed St Pancras station in London
Southeastern rail services were also disrupted by the flooding – and the company said problems were likely to linger on Sunday with a reduced service between St Pancras and Ashford.
“Whilst service recovers, trains running between these stations may still be cancelled, delayed or revised to terminate at Ebbsfleet International,” it said.
Thameslink is also predicting “major disruption” until the early hours of 1 January – due to a “shortage of train crew”.
Services between Bedford and London, Brighton and London, and Three Bridges and London are expected to be worst hit.
There will also be no overnight services on the network for people heading back from New Year celebrations.
A spokesperson for HS1 also confirmed the Eurostar line “will be operational in the morning”.
“We understand how frustrating this has been for passengers and apologise for the inconvenience caused at such an important time of the year,” the firm added.
The Met Office said bad weather was unlikely to have been the cause of the tunnel flood as there hadn’t been any heavy rain in the area at the time.
Image: The first Eurostar to Paris is set to leave London at 8.01am on Sunday
Image: The flood happened in the tunnel near Ebbsfleet in Kent
One of many travellers whose plans were ruined by the cancelled Eurostar trains was Matthew Hulls, 40, from Colchester.
He said he was “devastated” and had to return home after a surprise trip to Cologne for his partner was scuppered.
“My partner and I are big ice hockey fans of the local team and I’d purchased VIP tickets as a surprise for her, so (I’m) pretty devastated,” said Mr Hulls.
All 14 children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a boy died in a fire have been released on police bail, officers said.
Layton Carr, 14, was found dead near the site of a fire at Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area of Gateshead on Friday.
Northumbria Police said on Saturday that they had arrested 11 boys and three girls in connection with the incident.
In an update on Sunday, a Northumbria Police spokesman said: “All those arrested have since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:08
Teenager dies in industrial estate fire
Firefighters raced to the industrial site shortly after 8pm on Friday, putting out the blaze a short time later.
Police then issued an appeal for Carr, who was believed to be in the area at that time.
In a statement on Saturday, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.
More on Northumbria
Related Topics:
David Thompson, headteacher of Hebburn Comprehensive School, where Layton was a pupil, said the school community was “heartbroken”.
Mr Thompson described him as a “valued and much-loved member of Year 9” and said he would be “greatly missed by everyone”.
He added that the school’s “sincere condolences” were with Layton’s family and that the community would “rally together to support one another through this tragedy”.
A fundraising page on GoFundMe has been set up to help Layton’s mother pay for funeral costs.
Image: Pic: Gofundme
Organiser Stephanie Simpson said: “The last thing Georgia needs to stress trying to pay for a funeral for her Boy Any donations will help thank you.”
One tribute in a Facebook post read: “Can’t believe I’m writing this my nephew RIP Layton 💔 forever 14 you’ll be a massive miss, thinking of my sister and 2 beautiful nieces right now.”
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”
She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”.
They are working to establish “the full circumstances surrounding the incident” and officers will be in the area to “offer reassurance to the public”, she added.
A cordon remains in place at the site while police carry out enquiries.
Football bodies could be forced to pay towards the care costs of ex-players who have been diagnosed with brain conditions, under proposals set to be considered by MPs.
Campaigners are drafting amendments to the Football Governance Bill, which would treat conditions caused by heading balls as an “industrial injuries issue”.
The proposals seek to require the football industry to provide the necessary financial support.
Campaigners say existing support is not fit for purpose, including the Brain Health Fund which was set up with an initial £1m by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), supported by the Premier League.
But the Premier League said the fund has supported 121 families with at-home adaptations and care home fees.
From England‘s 1966 World Cup-winning team, both Jack and Bobby Charlton died with dementia, as did Martin Peters, Ray Wilson and Nobby Stiles.
Image: Neil Ruddock speaks to Sky’s Rob Harris outside parliament
Ex-players, including former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock, went to parliament last week to lobby MPs.
More on Dementia
Related Topics:
Ruddock told Sky News he had joined campaigners “for the families who’ve gone through hell”.
“A professional footballer, greatest job in the world, but no one knew the dangers, and that’s scary,” he said.
“Every time someone heads a ball it’s got to be dangerous to you. You know, I used to head 100 balls a day in training. I didn’t realise that might affect my future.”
A study co-funded by the PFA and the Football Association (FA) in 2019 found footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of a neurodegenerative disease than members of the public of the same age.
‘In denial’
Among those calling on football authorities to contribute towards the care costs of ex-players who have gone on to develop conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia is Labour MP Chris Evans.
Mr Evans, who represents Caerphilly in South Wales, hopes to amend the Bill to establish a care and financial support scheme for ex-footballers and told a recent event in parliament that affected ex-players “deserve to be compensated”.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who helped to draft the amendment, said the game was “in denial about the whole thing”.
Mr Burnham called for it to be seen as “an industrial injuries issue in the same way with mining”.
A spokesperson for the FA said it was taking a “leading role in reviewing and improving the safety of our game” and that it had “already taken many proactive steps to review and address potential risk factors”.
An English Football League spokesperson said it was “working closely with other football bodies” to ensure both professional and grassroots football are “as safe as it can be”.
And that comes in the context of increased warnings from government and the security services about Iranian activity on British soil.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:51
Counter terror officers raid property
Last year, the director general of MI5, Ken McCallum, said his organisation and police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents since January 2022.
He linked that increase to the ongoing situation in Iran’s own backyard.
“As events unfold in the Middle East, we will give our fullest attention to the risk of an increase in – or a broadening of – Iranian state aggression in the UK,” he said.
The implication is that even as Iran grapples with a rapidly changing situation in its own region, having seen its proxies, Hezbollahin Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, decimated and itself coming under Israeli attack, it may seek avenues further abroad.
More on Iran
Related Topics:
The government reiterated this warning only a few weeks ago, with security minister Dan Jarvis addressing parliament.
“The threat from Iran sits in a wider context of the growing, diversifying and evolving threat that the UK faces from malign activity by a number of states,” Jarvis said.
“The threat from states has become increasingly interconnected in nature, blurring the lines between: domestic and international; online and offline; and states and their proxies.
“Turning specifically to Iran, the regime has become increasingly emboldened, asserting itself more aggressively to advance their objectives and undermine ours.”
As part of that address, Jarvis highlighted the National Security Act 2023, which “criminalises assisting a foreign intelligence service”, among other things.
So it was notable that this was the act used in one of this weekend’s investigations.
The suspects were detained under section 27 of the same act, which allows police to arrest those suspected of being “involved in foreign power threat activity”.