In pictures: Storm Pia causes festive travel chaos around UK

Storm Pia contributed to festive travel chaos as fallen trees and high winds caused damage and injury across the country.

Gusts hit up to 115mph at Cairngorm Summit, while winds of 81mph were recorded at Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick, Northumberland and at Baltasound on Shetland, with gusts of more than 70mph elsewhere in the North East of England.

One man was taken to hospital with what is understood to be non-life-threatening injuries after a tree fell onto his car in Clifton, Derbyshire. It was one of a number of trees that fell into roads, leaving travel chaos as motorists forced to find alternative routes.

The roof came off a section of a block of flats in Haslam Crescent, Sheffield, according to the city council, while fallen trees also blocked train lines further south and tens of thousands of homes were left without power in some parts of the UK.

The wind was expected to ease on Friday, but more yellow weather alerts have been issued for snow and ice across Shetland into the weekend, with possible accumulations of 2-5cm of snow, while icy patches are expected on the Scottish archipelago.

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The Met Office predicted continued “unsettled” weather over the weekend and said a White Christmas – defined as a single snowflake falling on Christmas Day – is likely, particularly over high ground in the far north of Scotland.

But forecasters also pointed out that that doesn't mean picture-postcard snow scenes are on the cards.

A spokesperson for Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents Britain’s electricity network operators, said 80% of customers affected by storm-related power cuts on Thursday had been reconnected.

Northern Powergrid, one of the electricity network operators represented by ENA, said it had restored power to more than 45,000 customers across the North East, Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire by Thursday evening – around 96% of customers impacted by Storm Pia.

According to the ENA, the main areas affected were across Scotland, North East England, Yorkshire, North West England and the Midlands.

Travel disruption

Train passengers experienced significant disruption on Thursday with National Rail reporting that routes across Scotland, and parts of England and Wales were affected, and speed restrictions were in place on lines within the previous weather warning area.

Further south, a fallen tree blocked a train line between Ascot, Berkshire and Bagshot, Surrey.

How to claim compensation if your Christmas flights are cancelled

If your flight is cancelled or delayed, there are various options available to you.

If your flight to or from a UK or EU airport (or with a UK/EU airline) is cancelled outright, whatever the reason, your airline must offer you either a full refund or a seat on the soonest available alternative flight, even if it is with a rival carrier. If your airline cancels your flight and is unable to offer an alternative, you must make your own arrangements and seek a refund from it at a later date.

If you are experiencing a long delay, airlines must provide food and drink appropriate to the time of day and a means of communicating your delay or a refund for the cost of essential phone calls. For overnight delays, you must be given hotel accommodation and transport to it – or back home if you are on the outward leg. Again you may have to make your own arrangements and claim back the cost.

To claim additional cash compensation, the hold-up must have been the airline’s fault (this does not include severe weather or IT breakdowns, for example) and cause a delay of three hours or more beyond the scheduled arrival time. If your fight is cancelled you can only claim compensation if the airline is to blame.

Read more: Flight cancelled or delayed by Storm Pia? Here’s how to claim compensation (Telegraph)