Storm Gerrit live: Weather warnings in place as trains cancelled and major incident declared in Scotland

A road closed because of snow, leaving drivers trapped for hours, has now fully reopened, Police Scotland have said.

Storm Gerrit caused parts of the A9 to be closed in Drumtocher in the Scottish Highlands, before snowploughs were eventually able to clear a path.

When snowfall was at its worst, and parts of the A9 were shut, police had asked drivers and passengers to remain in their vehicles and stay alert for updates on social media and local radio channels.

Disruption caused by Storm Gerrit has brought misery for travellers on their way home from the Christmas holidays across the country.

Wind gusts of 80mph and heavy rain caused delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.

Train operator LNER, which runs services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line, advised customers not to travel due to the weather.

Festive travel plans were plunged into chaos for tens of thousands on Wednesday, as Storm Gerrit brought flooding and huge disruption to rail services and left drivers trapped for hours in their cars on snow-covered roads.

A rescue operation was launched to help motorists stranded in freezing conditions on the A9 near Inverness.

Heathrow Airport cancelled 18 flights due to air traffic control restrictions, understood to be return routes from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester, and to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris.

Storm Gerrit also brought plenty of rain gauge at the Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District recording 80mm – nearly half the usual 178mm monthly rainfall for December, the Met Office said.

The fastest recorded wind gusts so far are 86mph at Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland, 84mph at Fair Isle and 83mph at Capel Curig, north Wales, the forecaster said.

ScotRail suspended multiple train services until further notice, impacting trains travelling while other lines saw their timetables shelved until “a full inspection can be carried out” on the railway network.

Train operator LNER, which runs services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line, also advised customers not to travel due to the weather.

Customers stranded by the disruption were told to book hotels which they can claim back.

Avanti West Coast, which operates services on the West Coast Main Line, said its route to Scotland is impassable with all services to and from London terminating at Preston.

Those with pre-booked tickets for travel between Preston and either Edinburgh or Glasgow can board trains on Thursday or Friday, the operator said.

Scotland police confirmed the A9 has fully reopened in both directions and is “passable with care” after snow blocked the road between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie.

Inspector Michelle Burns, from Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said: “Conditions for travel in the affected areas may be hazardous and extra caution should be exercised by all road users.

The A90 northbound has also reopened after earlier closures, but southbound lanes at Lochlands, Forfar remain off-limits with local diversions in place.

Storm Gerrit has wreaked havoc on the travel network and left thousands of homes without power.

Parts of Scotland experienced significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.

High winds, along with heavy rain and snow, damaged electricity networks across Scotland as fallen trees, branches and other debris brought down power lines.

A yellow warning for wind and snow remains in place until 6am on Thursday in the Shetlands.

SSEN said power had been restored to 25,000 properties with a further 16,000 homes entering Thursday without power.

An SSEN spokesperson said: “The widespread extent of the damage, the ongoing adverse weather conditions, and the challenges accessing faults due to fallen trees, flooding and road closures, together mean that full network restoration will take time.”

“Some customers in rural areas may be off supply for up to 48 hours.

Wind warnings have been put in place across swathes of the UK and those making their way home after the Christmas break have been warned to watch out for potentially hazardous conditions as well as delays.

Footage shows the plane coming in for a landing when winds suddenly cause the aircraft to tilt and its wing angle towards the ground.

The pilot manages to control the plane in what are very foggy and windy conditions.

Winds of up to 80mph have been recorded by the Met Office today as travel across the UK has been disrupted due to hazardous conditions.

As rail services resume across the UK, hundreds of thousands of passengers are facing delays and cancellations due to Storm Gerrit and other incidents.