Drivers caught in long delays on M5 after crash

It is time to wrap up our rolling travel and traffic blog for today, but tune back in tomorrow for more updates.

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A tree has fallen on the railway between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno Junction, forcing all lines between the stations to close.

All trains between the stations will be cancelled until the end of the day tomorrow.

Fortunately, rail replacement buses are able to run, but journey times will be longer than usual.

The A34 remains closed in both directions after torrential rain and flooding hit Manchester and the surrounding areas on New Year’s Eve.

Several roads across Greater Manchester boroughs remain closed after becoming waterlogged.

In Alderley Edge, Cheshire, the A34 remains closed in both directions due to flooding which trapped vehicles, including a dairy tanker.

Railway lines in Scotland have been hit by flooding, ice and snow.

Rough weather is expected to affect ScotRail services from today until Monday after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings across the UK.

Services have been suspended across the rail network in northern Scotland following landslips and flooding.

Now the line between Inverness and Dingwall has been closed and it will remain shut until Saturday, January 4. This means there will be no trains between Inverness and Wick/Thurso, and Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh.

Rail replacement cannot run to Kyle of Lochalsh due to snow on the roads, ScotRail said.

The emergency services continue to deal with the multi-vehicle crash on the M5 near Bridgwater.

As a result, two out of three lanes remain closed northbound between J24 (Bridgwater) and J23 (Dunball).

Traffic delays have now built up to 75 minutes on approach with six miles of congestion, National Highways said.

Traffic was briefly held on the M4 near Heathrow Airport after an earlier crash on the London-bound lane.

While all lanes have since reopened, there are some delays between junctions J2 and J3 and congestion to J4 (Heathrow Spur/Uxbridge).

Traffic has ground to a halt on the A30 near Okehampton, Cornwall, following a crash.

Queues are forming and one lane is closed due to the smash which happened eastbound between Stowford Cross and A386 (Sourton Cross).

Drivers face delays on the B255 near Dartford Crossing and the M25 after a multi-vehicle crash closed a lane.

The incident happened on the B255 northbound just after the A2 Bean Interchange.

It is causing tailbacks along the A2 to the M25.

If you’re travelling through Euston station today, prepare for significant disruption as members of the RMT union at Avanti West Coast have called a strike.

This means the schedules for the usual trains departing to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Crewe will look very different today.

One train per hour will run between Euston, Wolverhampton via Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester, and the last train will Euston will depart before 5pm.

North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh will have no Avanti West Coast services today.

Worried passengers will be checking the status of their flights as thick fog blankets the UK.

Hundreds of flights in and out of Gatwick Airport have faced delays due to the fog, with Heathrow also affected and Ryanair issuing a warning for all UK flights.

So far 27 flights have been cancelled at Gatwick this morning, impacting up to 5,000 passengers, the Independent reports.

But what are your rights if your flight is cancelled by bad weather?

Trains running between Fernhill and Aberdare have been cancelled due to a points failure, National Rail have confirmed.

Disruption is expected to continue until approximately 16:15.

A busy London road is set to close for 36 days in total over the next few months – starting on Friday.

The A40 Westway is an elevated part of the dual carriageway running between Paddington and North Kensington, connecting the London Inner Ring Road to the west London suburbs.

Read more about it below:

Transpennine Express trains departing from Manchester Piccadilly have returned to normal service after facing heavy disruptions due to flooding in the area, National Rail has confirmed.

Major disruption has been reported on the M3 eastbound due to a car leaving the carriageway and coming to rest in a ditch.

Lanes between Hook and Farnbourough are closed, with delays of up to 60 minutes expected. There is around 4.5 miles of congestion, according to National Highway.

Heavy snow and freezing rain is expected this weekend, which may cause disruption to drivers on the road.

About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm over high ground in Wales and/or the Pennines.

Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, and ice is expected on a number of rural roads.

The Met Office advises drivers plan their route, check for delays and road closures, and leave more time before setting off due to the adverse conditions affecting traffic.

Bradley Road in Chiddingstone, Kent, will be closed from 6th January 2025 for up to 4 days, Kent Highways has confirmed.

The road will be closed at the junctions of Sussex Lane and Top Hill, with alternate routes in place.

London Waterloo to Weymouth services will be revised today due to engineering works, Southwestern railways have confirmed.

An hourly service will depart from London Waterloo which will be diverted between Woking and Southampton Central and will call additionally at Guildford, Havant and Fareham.

Buses will run between Woking, Brookwood and Farnborough, with additional services between Farnborough and Basingstoke.

124 flood warnings and alerts are currently in place across England, Scotland and Wales, with flooding in the north-west causing significant disruption to travel.

There are currently 24 warnings and 70 less severe alerts in place throughout England

In Scotland there are 11 warnings and four alerts in place while in Wales there are four warnings 11 alerts in place.

Traffic is being held on the M6 southbound following a multi vehicle collision between J15 Hanchurch, near Stafford.

Delays of up to 20 minutes are expected, according to National Highways.

Train services running between Workington and Carlisle are blocked due to a points failure, Northern Rail has confirmed.

A replacement rail bus is in effect and rticket restrictions have been lifted.

RMT members who work as train managers at Avanti West Coast will also be striking every Sunday from 12 January until 25 May 2025.

Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, said: ‘Avanti West Coast created this dispute by ignoring train managers’ concerns and presenting offers those members deemed unacceptable.

‘The company must come forward with a revised proposal so we can avoid more strike action further into 2025.’

Major disruption is expected on Avanti West Coast services today as members of the RMT will walk out for the second time this week in a dispute over rest-day working.

The operator will run one train an hour between Euston and each of Wolverhampton (via Birmingham), Crewe and Manchester today, with limited service also expected between Glasgow and Preston.

The greatly reduced timetables will mean North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh have no Avanti West Coast services.

Avanti said passengers who do travel should plan ahead, expect disruption and check the details of their last train home.

Severe delays are also expected on the Jubilee line this morning following a signal failure at Bond Street.

There is currently no service between Waterloo and Stanmore, with long delays reported on the rest of the line, TfL reports.

Tickets are being accepted on London Buses, C2C, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth Line, Southeastern and Thameslink.

The Piccadilly line also remains heavily delayed.

Heavy rain and flooding has blocked all lines between Manchester Piccadilly, New Mills Central and Sheffield.

The rail operator said disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Urgent bridge repairs at South Bank is also causing long term disruption in the area.

Middlesbrough to Saltburn services will not call at South Bank until the end of June.

The Met Office has warned those looking to venture outside of their house today that icy surfaces will lead to difficult conditions.

Two yellow weather warnings are in place for snow and ice acrossScotland and England.

This will make conditions icier, potentially causing disruptions.

There are severe delays on the Piccadilly Line after leaf fall from two weeks ago damaged tracks and carriages.

Transport for London has been forced to continue to suspend the line between Uxbridge and Rayners Lane.

They said: ‘We employ a robust action plan every year to minimise the impact of leaf fall on our network which includes intensive trackside vegetation clearance and running specialist engineering trains along affected sections.’

‘However, high volumes of leaves can make the track slippery and increase the risk of damage to train wheels, which is why we sometimes must introduce part-suspensions at this time of year, depending on weather conditions.’