Weather warning issued for parts of UK – Eurostar warns of more delays as trains resume

Published

11 months ago

December 31, 2023

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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.

Weather latest: Severe winds forecast for New Year’s Eve

With New Year’s Eve celebrations hours away, the Met Office warned severe gales and heavy showers may lead to disruption.

A yellow weather warning for wind is in force from 10am until around midnight tonight.

The warning covers the south and southwest of Wales, much of the south of England, including the Isle of Wight, and the South West.

People have been told to expect gales and severe gales, with heavy showers potentially leading to disruption to road, rail, air and ferry journeys.

Bus and train journeys may also be affected and short term losses of power are possible in some areas.

Get the latest weather forecast for your area

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.

Eurostar problem ‘under control’

Travellers were stranded yesterday when all Eurostar trains to and from London St Pancras were cancelled.

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.

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.

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.

It’s the second time this month that people have been left stranded due to Eurostar problems.

All services were temporarily suspended in the days before Christmas after an unexpected strike by French staff unhappy about their end-of-year bonus.

UK

Harshita Brella: International manhunt under way for husband after woman’s body found in car boot

Published

3 hours ago

November 17, 2024

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Harshita Brella: International manhunt under way for husband after woman's body found in car boot

An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.

The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.

On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.

Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.

“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.

“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”

“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.

Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.

More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.

“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.

“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”

Force referred to police watchdog

On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.

Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.

East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.

UK

King Richard III given Yorkshire accent using state-of-the-art technology

Published

3 hours ago

November 17, 2024

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King Richard III given Yorkshire accent using state-of-the-art technology

State-of-the-art technology has been used to create a voice for King Richard III – giving him a Yorkshire accent.

A digital avatar of the medieval king’s head went on display in front of excited history fans at York Theatre Royal.

Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32.

His remains were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012 by historian Philippa Langley.

Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.

A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.

Experts from various fields helped put the pieces of the puzzle together, including speech and language therapy, dentistry, forensic psychology and archaeology.

His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.

The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.

Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a good physical match.

Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.

The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.

The voice shows the change in pronunciation over the centuries – from regional variations to the Queen’s English.

History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”

Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life

UK

South Yorkshire Police warning after 13 dangerous dog reports in 48 hours

Published

3 hours ago

November 17, 2024

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South Yorkshire Police warning after 13 dangerous dog reports in 48 hours

South Yorkshire Police have warned pet owners to “step up before someone dies” after receiving 13 reports of dangerous dogs in less than 48 hours.

One man was attacked by his own American bulldog in Sheffield on Thursday afternoon, the force said, when he attempted to separate it and a pocket bully inside a property.

The owner suffered lacerations to his face, neck and head, and was taken to hospital, while his dog was seized and remains in police kennels.

Warning: Distressing images below

Another incident saw a woman walking home with her baby in a carrier on her chest, when she was approached by a loose XL bully who began to show aggression and jump up to her baby.

An elderly woman and her grandchild were attacked by another loose dog in Sheffield.

“As dogs causing harm and fear in our communities continues to place significant demand on our force, we’re urging owners to step up, before someone dies,” South Yorkshire Police said in a statement.

The warning comes after 10-year-old Savannah Bentham was killed at her family’s home in North Yorkshire by their dog on 1 November.

Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, said: “Recently we have sadly seen another fatal incident in the UK of a dog causing death.

“People think it won’t happen to them, that their dog won’t cause harm, but it can happen to anyone. Any dog can cause fear and harm and owners who do not step up and prevent harm to our communities will not be tolerated.

“You are responsible for your dog’s actions, and we continue to put people before the courts.

“We only have a limited number of resources, attending dangerous dog incidents takes officers away from other calls. If every owner steps up and makes small changes, we can make a difference.”