Avanti passengers warned 'do not travel' as route between Scotland and England blocked by flooding - flood warnings

Avanti West Coast has notified customers of disruption on the route between London Euston and Glasgow Central/Edinburgh and told passengers not to travel north of Preston. It comes after heavy rainfall caused flooding on the line between Carlisle and Lockerbie, with 65.6mm falling over the previous 24 hours.

Services are being subjected to cancellations, delays or revised as a result of the poor weather conditions. Avanti West Coast told passengers: “Please do not attempt to travel with us between Preston and Scotland. We’re really sorry if this affects your journey today.”

Ticketholders may be able to use their ticket to travel with other operators, including on CrossCountry service from Birmingham to Edinburgh, as well as LNER services. Avanti tickets for journeys between Preston and Scotland and dated for either Wednesday, May 22 or Thursday, May 23 will also be valid for travel on Friday, May 24 if passengers choose to postpone their travel.

Other services affected by the flooding include the Caledonian Sleeper between London Euston and Inverness/Aberdeen, ScotRail trains between Carlisle and Glasgow Central and TransPennine Express between Manchester Airport and Edinburgh, and between Manchester Piccadilly and Glasgow Central.

TransPennine Express commercial director Darren Higgins said: “Due to flooding on the railway line north of Carlisle, train services are significantly disrupted. The safety of our customers and colleagues is our priority and we are urging customers not to travel between Manchester, Liverpool (or) Preston to Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Anyone planning on travelling by train today can choose to defer their travel or claim a refund.”

ScotRail services between Carlisle and Glasgow Central are expected to start and terminate at Dumfries. A replacement bus has been arranged for onward travel.

National Rail has said in an update: “Flooding between Carlisle and Lockerbie means that all lines are currently closed. Speed restrictions due to severe weather will also be in place until the end of service today. Services that run between Carlisle and Edinburgh / Glasgow Central will be cancelled, severely delayed or revised. Major disruption is expected until the end of service today.”

The rail chaos comes after large part of the country were hit with torrential downpours over the past 24 hours. Yellow warnings covered almost all of Scotland, as well as all of the north of England and into areas of Wales. A yellow warning for rain continues to cover the affected areas for most of the day. In the north-west of England, including Manchester and Liverpool, a more severe amber warning was issued for rain which has since expired.

The conditions have proved dangerous in some places, after a person died following a mudslide in Carlton-in-Cleveland, North Yorkshire. The Met Office said that Loftus, a town 20 miles away from Carlton-in-Cleveland, had seen almost one month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours.

As a result of the heavy rain, there are currently 14 flood warnings (where flooding is expected) in England, with a further 87 flood alters (where flooding is possible). In Scotland, there are 16 flood alerts and one warning. There is also the chance of flooding in Wales, where there is currently four flood alerts in place.

The downpour across the UK is set to settle into much milder conditions next week, when English school break for half-term. The sunshine is expected to return in time for the bank holiday Monday, and likely to last throughout the week. Temperatures could hit the mid 20ºCs due to a so-called ‘heat dome’, with the mercury expected to reach higher than Istanbul.