Fights cancelled and drivers told to avoid roads as Met Office issues Christmas weather warning

Location-technology company TomTom said road congestion in cities across Britain was above normal levels today.

The time taken to cover 10km (6.2 miles) in London was 20 minutes and 15 seconds, which is one minute and 51 seconds longer than usual at 3pm.

Journey times over the same distance also increased in Birmingham (two minutes and 11 seconds), Manchester (two minutes and 33 seconds), Glasgow (two minutes and 24 seconds) and Cardiff (four minutes and eight seconds).

Passengers at Euston said the travel disruption on Thursday left them “concerned” and repeatedly checking their journeys online, but their plans on Friday had not been delayed.

Ash Hill, 32, and Vanessa Yau, 31, were getting the train to Telford, Shropshire, for Christmas on Friday morning with their dog Chance.

Ms Yau said: “I was hoping that there were no knock-on effects, I was concerned and wanted to keep an eye on the Trainline website just in case.”

Meanwhile Joe Burns, 22, and Jimmy Dingwall, 25, were travelling to Liverpool for Christmas on the 10.43am train.

They saw the news on Thursday and thought they were not going to be able to travel, but their train was on time on Friday.

Mr Burns, a student, said: “I don’t think I’ve ever had a train journey which has gone smoothly.”

Storm Pia has already hampered Christmas getaway plans, with heavy winds causing train cancellations.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With this latest weather warning affecting a large area of Scotland and parts of northern England, there is the chance travellers’ last-minute getaway trips could be disrupted.

“If trains are significantly delayed people are more likely to shift to the roads which could add to already exceptionally high traffic volumes. Nationally, we expect around 3.2m separate getaway journeys to be made by car.

“For this reason, we urge drivers to be on their guard for debris in the road, including branches and possibly even trees, especially along more rural routes.

“Gusty conditions can also make driving more difficult, so it’s advisable drivers reduce their speed and stay focused on the road ahead.”

Mr Dixon added: “As we get into Christmas Day, the outlook is looking rather unsettled at first, there are weather fronts draped over the UK and it’s looking likely that we’ll have rain across much of England and Wales and indeed some showers in parts of western and southern Scotland.

“This will gradually clear up during the day, some people may get a clearer spell in the afternoon, so an unsettled day.

“In terms of a white Christmas, it looks likely, with wintry showers possible over high ground in the far north of Scotland, but not widespread.”

A yellow alert has also been issued for snow and ice across Shetland over the weekend, with possible accumulations of 2-5cm of snow.

On Saturday a yellow rain warning will be issued across parts of Wales, lasting until the evening of December 24.

Road and rail journeys are set to be disrupted in the run-up to Christmas and homes may be hit by power cuts as high winds batter the north of the UK on Thursday.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning, forecasting winds of up to 80mph in northern Scotland, up to 70mph on high ground, and 45-55mph elsewhere in Northern Ireland, Scotland, north Wales and England north of Birmingham, as well as the top half of East Anglia.

The warning, prompted by an area of low pressure, is for wind from midnight Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday, meaning travel disruption is likely, power cuts are possible, high-sided vehicles could be at risk on exposed roads and coastal routes could be sprayed by high waves.

Christmas Eve travel plans could be ruined with heavy winds set to batter parts of the country ahead of a rain-soaked December 25.

Gusts as high as 60 to 70 mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England on Sunday, forecasters have said.

Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers.

Forecasters said: “Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary. “

The RAC estimates 3.2 million car journeys will be made across the country on Christmas Eve, and last-minute getaway trips could be disrupted.

Christmas Day morning is set to be neither merry nor bright for most, with rain across parts of England and Wales.

However, a white Christmas, defined as a single snowflake falling on December 25, is likely for a short period over high ground in the far north of Scotland.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “There’s potentially going to be some travel disruption on Christmas Eve, to the east of the Pennines in particular, because of that wind.

“It’s also going to be a very windy day in Scotland as well, so a chance of some travel disruption and power cuts, particular given the wind we saw recently with Storm Pia.”

A mother and daughter had to pay for a hotel for the night after their train back to France was cancelled on Thursday.

Sophie Lesaint, 53, and Mariane Tadebois, 23, arrived at St Pancras at 6.30am on Friday and managed to book a train for 2pm.

Mrs Lesaint said: “We received an email at 1pm yesterday and then we were trying to find a solution to get a train as soon as possible, but it was not possible.

“We were refreshing our emails all the time. So this morning we came very early and we saw all the people queuing.

“When we get to Paris we have to take another train to another town in France, but there was only one seat so we are now travelling separately. It has changed everything, everything is booked up. We had to pay for a hotel, we’re going to try to get compensation after.

“We even looked at getting a ferry or a nine-hour bus. We have to be back with my mum for Christmas.”

A railway line at West Calder was obstructed by a trampoline which landed perfectly on the tracks after being lifted by strong winds.

British Airways has grounded at least 20 short haul – domestic and European – flights from London Heathrow, blaming air-traffic control restrictions.

The outbound BA European departures served Basel, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Geneva and Munich, together with the return legs.

Domestic cancellations involved round-trips from Heathrow to Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “Due to the continuing air traffic control restrictions put in place because of Storm Pia, we have had to make some adjustments to our schedule.

“We have apologised to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible.”