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Twelve people were evacuated from five homes in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, early on Tuesday after a short circuit in an external electrical box, North Wales Fire Service said. Emergency crews were called to the properties in Waterloo Street shortly after 5.15am and isolated the power cables before handing over to the utility company. Elsewhere, the weather is also thought to have caused a power surge at a property in Lon Y Wern, Bangor, which led to a washing machine fire. Nobody was injured in either incident, a fire service spokeswoman said. Fierce storms have battered Britain, with heavy rain and winds gusting up to 85mph. The bad weather meant some East Coast main line trains between London and Scotland had to begin and terminate at Newcastle upon Tyne. Also, buses had to replace trains on some East Coast services between London and Harrogate and Hull. Drivers planning to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex were advised of possible delays due to gale-force winds. A Highways Agency spokesman said: "As a precaution, the East Tunnel will be closed to northbound, anti-clockwise traffic from 4am with the possibility of gales affecting the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge which normally carries clockwise, southbound traffic from the M25 across the Thames." The Met Office issued severe weather warnings across many regions of the UK. Forecasters told those living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be prepared, while localised flooding and a marked drop in temperature was expected for aspects of Wales and north-west England. Scotland was braced for the harshest weather conditions - the Met Office has issued warnings for both snow and high winds. Parts of Wales saw gusts of more than 90mph in the early hours, with gusts of 93mph hitting Aberdaron in North Wales. Billy Payne, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Much of Wales and south-west England have had gusts of over 60mph this morning. " He warned of "heavy rain, stormy winds and severe gales with damaging gusts", but said the rain should clear most parts of the country by this afternoon. The A628 around Woodhead Pass in the Peak District between the A616 and A57 has been closed in both directions to all traffic due to wind speeds gusting between 60mph and 80mph, said the Highways Agency. The A66 between the A1(M) and the M6 is also closed to high-sided vehicles. The severe weather was having a big effect on rail services in Scotland. Buses were replacing trains between Helensburgh Central and Dumbarton Central, while trains between Dalmuir and Hyndland via Singer were being diverted via Yoker. |
Wednesday 4 January 2012
Fierce weather sparks short circuit - The Press Association
