Storm Franklin batters UK with high winds and flooding, causing rush-hour delays

Storm Franklin has sparked evacuations in parts of the UK and caused widespread rush-hour travel disruption, with train operators warning customers not to travel amid gale-force winds and flooding.

A yellow wind warning that covers England, Wales and south-western Scotland is in place until 1pm, while an amber warning for Northern Ireland expired at 7am.

Winds are peaking during rush-hour, according to Greg Dewhurst, senior meteorologist at the Met Office, who added that they will begin noticeably easing around lunchtime.

Heavy showers lashing northern England and Northern Ireland are set to move south-eastwards, he said.

Storm Franklin’s highest gust of 87mph was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight on Sunday evening, followed by current gusts of 79mph on a mountaintop in Wales.

“It’s still pretty strong out there and it will continue to be strong over the next few hours,” Mr Dewhurst told the PA news agency.

National Rail told people “do not travel” as it said the first services on most routes were cancelled, while there is a reduced timetable for Monday, alternative travel is unavailable and further disruption is expected.

Major flooding across parts of Yorkshire has blocked multiple lines and shuttered South Yorkshire’s Rotherham Central railway station until Tuesday.

Train operator Northern posted a photograph on social media showing the rail line through Rotherham station flooded to the extent that the tracks are not visible.

There is severe disruption on many of its routes, including between Sheffield and Manchester, Scarborough and Hull, York and Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds, Chester and Manchester, and Carlisle and Newcastle.

Rail operator TransPennine Express told customers on Twitter: “Due to a river flooding the railway at Mexborough, trains are currently unable to operate between Doncaster, Meadowhall and Sheffield. All lines are blocked.

“This is preventing road transport in the area. Customers are advised only to travel if their journey is essential.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service reported saving a number of people from stranded cars on the A61 at Harewood Bridge, with more reports of roads left impassable due to flash flooding across the region.

Stretches of the M60 in Greater Manchester and the M6 in Lancashire were closed due to incidents during the storm, including a lorry that hit a bridge and caught fire.

A post on the Lancs Road Police Twitter account said: “High winds caused this HGV to hit a bridge and burst into flames on M6.

“Driver luckily escaped from cab with help from other motorists and is being assessed at hospital.

“Long delays both N+S between J27/28.”

South Western Railway said Network Rail had cleared more than 50 trees from its network since Friday, but more heavy rain and strong winds on Sunday night caused “even more trees to block the lines and further damage to stations and infrastructure”.

It added: “With the wind direction expected to change it is very likely that more trees will come down during Storm Franklin, having been weakened over the last two days.”

In the capital, where wind gusts are up to around 40mph, London Overground services are cancelled or reduced.

Thousands of homes in the UK are still without power due to Storm Eunice, and Storm Franklin is complicating recovery efforts.

Some homes in Surrey are without water supply, with Thames Water listing the affected postcodes as GU5, GU6, RH5 and RH12.

Environment agencies have issued hundreds of alerts for flooding across the UK, including two rare “severe” warnings where rainfall could also pose a “danger to life” for communities along the River Mersey in Greater Manchester’s East Didsbury and West Didsbury and Northenden.

But on Monday, Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig said emergency evacuation operations had been stood down in Didsbury.

She wrote on Twitter: “Thankfully after the peak at 4am, emergency evacuation operations on the ground were stood down and we got through the night without any flooding or damage to properties.

“Thanks again to everyone involved and to the hundreds of residents who were impacted.”

The River Don burst its banks in the Sprotbrough area of Doncaster in South Yorkshire on Sunday night, and police warned people to stay away from dangerous “fast-flowing” water.

Central Sheffield’s flood defences appear to have held, despite fears as the River Don raged through the city on Sunday night.

Last week marked the first time three named storms have been recorded within seven days since the storm-naming system began in 2015, with Dudley, Eunice and Franklin.