Storm Goretti Affects UK, Triggering Power Cuts

(MENAFN) Storm Goretti continued to wreak havoc across the United Kingdom on Friday, knocking out electricity to tens of thousands of households and causing severe disruption to air, rail, and road transport, as authorities issued new weather alerts.

According to National Grid, roughly 57,000 homes were without power in the early hours of Friday, with the heaviest impact felt in southwest England.

Cornwall accounted for around 43,400 of those outages, while parts of the West Midlands were also affected.

Emergency repair teams worked through the night to restore electricity, though officials cautioned that ongoing extreme weather was hampering recovery efforts, a news agency reported.

Air travel faced significant setbacks as well. British Airways canceled more than 50 flights at London’s Heathrow Airport, primarily affecting short-distance routes. Several regional airports also experienced delays and temporary runway shutdowns due to heavy snowfall and hazardous conditions.

Rail networks across the country were badly disrupted, prompting Network Rail to advise passengers in parts of England and Wales to avoid traveling altogether.

Train companies reported severely reduced services throughout the Midlands and southwest England, with some lines fully suspended while safety inspections were carried out on tracks and stations.

West Midlands Railway announced the suspension of all its services, while London Northwestern Railway said trains between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street would not resume until Friday afternoon.

Services linking Birmingham New Street and London Euston were operating at reduced capacity, adding to widespread commuter difficulties.

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