It’s the third storm to hit the UK in a week
Flood alerts are in place and evacuations have taken place across the country as Storm Franklin hits the UK.
Just days after Storm Eunice caused wide-spread chaos, areas of the UK are experiencing fierce winds and rain.
The public has been urged to “not travel” by train as services experience major delays because of the weather.
Plus, on Sunday, major evacuations were underway in Didsbury, Greater Manchester, as the area experienced flooding.
Footage from EA Field Operatives as they operate #Didsbury Flood Basin on the #Mersey
Severe Flood Warnings are in place, please follow advice from Emergency Services, and evacuate if asked to do so
Sign up for free Flood warnings: https://t.co/F1wbUHPZe8 #PrepareActSurvive pic.twitter.com/W1xuqzMiky
— Env Agency NW (@EnvAgencyNW) February 20, 2022
Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place across the the UK, with two “severe” rainfall warnings issued for communities along the River Mersey in Greater Manchester.
Extraordinary pictures of the flooding in Didsbury tonight by @aspmcr pic.twitter.com/xC1nNVisE3
— Rob Williams (@BobJWilliams) February 20, 2022
This means the weather could pose a “danger to life.”
An amber warning for wind has been issued to Northern Ireland, while yellow wind warnings cover England, Wales and south-western Scotland from midday until 1pm on Monday (February 21).
It will be a very windy start to Monday due to #StormFranklin
Bands of rain & showers will also be sinking south during the rush hour, & combined with the strong winds may make travel difficult in places
Warnings are in force throughout the morning so stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/wtfn5NI9NF
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 20, 2022
TransPennine Express (TPE) is strongly urging commuters to “avoid travel if possible.”
Speaking on Sunday evening, TPE operations director Paul Watson said: “Due to the impact of Storm Franklin, train services are disrupted along the West Coast Mainline.
“The safety of our customers and staff is our priority and we are warning customers not to travel between Preston and Edinburgh/Glasgow until after 10am tomorrow.
“Anyone planning on travelling by train today or before 10am tomorrow can choose to defer their travel or claim a refund.”
⚠️We’re strongly urging customers travelling north of #Preston to avoid travel before 10:00 tomorrow (Mon 21st Feb), due to disruption caused by Storm Franklin.
Services are subject to, delays and cancellations due to the extreme weather and as a result are very busy.(1) pic.twitter.com/lL6FSzduls
— TPE Customer Assist (@TPEassist) February 20, 2022
These sentiments were echoed by Great Western Railway (GWR), which has urged customers to travel only “if absolutely necessary” – warning that they expect services to be “significantly disrupted across the network” on Monday.
National Rail said: “Please check before you travel if you plan to use train services today or on Monday.
“The poor weather conditions may cause flooding, and any trees already weakened by Storm Eunice may fall down.
“Where conditions worsen, speed restrictions could be put in place to ensure you can travel safely.”
And South Western Railway said that a 50mph speed restriction is in place for their trains, adding to “delays and cancellations throughout the day.”
The network added that it was “unable to guarantee replacement travel services will be provided during this challenging time.”
You can find the latest updates about all rail networks on the National Rail Twitter page.
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