Widespread disruption blighted major transport routes for a second day after fierce storms and torrential downpours caused flash floods across parts of the UK.
Train services between Scotland and England were restored though delays disrupted the east coast mainline. Thursday’s freak deluges saw rail lines blocked by flood water, landslips and fallen trees.
Landslides in the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands caused delays and cancellations as torrential downpours battered the country. Many roads are closed due to flooding, with Herefordshire and Worcestershire particularly badly hit.
Among the areas where roads were hit by flash flooding in Worcestershire were Catshill, Droitwich Spa and Rednal. In some places, 30mm of rain were reported in just one hour.
And a freak storm of huge hailstones “the size of golfballs” shocked residents of parts of the Midlands and caused damage to cars leading to insurers warning some vehicles face being written off because of the extent of the damage.
Cheshire was another of the counties to be badly affected, with the traffic disrupted by a fallen tree on the M56. Drivers in north-east England were also affected, with flooding affecting the A691 in Lanchester in County Durham and the B601 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
Everything ceased. It was like time stood still, it was like the end of the world. Terry Adair
More than a dozen cars were wrecked after they were submerged close to Heworth Metro station in Gateshead. Owners came to survey the damage and retrieve soaking valuables after the water subsided. Muddy tide marks on the roofs clearly showed how high the flooding had been.
What caused the extreme wather? Channel 4 Weather Presenter Liam Dutton writes: “The answer lies in the weather set up that was in place across the UK yesterday. Two crucial ingredients were present – a plume of humid, moist air and a cold front sweeping in.
Effectively it was a large scale version of someone taking a lid off some cooking popcorn and, as we know, once the corn pops, things really start to get interesting without a lid on the saucepan!”
Read more on Liam Dutton’s weather blog.
On Tyneside, retired builder Terry Adair, 74, checked on his sister-in-law’s Nissan Micra and took away her wheelchair and documents. He said: “It’s a write-off. It wasn’t anybody’s fault.
“The road filled up that quick, it seemed like a matter of seconds, then the traffic stopped and it was bumper to bumper.
“The Metro stopped running and then everything ceased. It was like time stood still, it was like the end of the world.
“Within an hour these cars were covered and there was nothing we could do. It’s heart-breaking.”
Insurance premiums set to rise in areas hit by flash floods
Some passengers endured a 15-hour journey between London and Glasgow after their train was stranded following a landslide in the Lake District.
On Thursday, one man died after being swept away in a Shropshire stream, while roads were closed, properties were flooded and hundreds of homes were evacuated.