New Year’s Day travel facing disruption amid wind and rain warnings

Wind and rain warnings are in force across Wales, with the threat of flooding and disruption to New Year’s Day travel.

Wales will be hit by strong winds until 3pm on Wednesday and is forecast to see heavy rain for much of the morning.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is urging people to be alert for potential flooding and surface water issues, with the highest rainfall totals expected across high ground in north and mid Wales especially in parts of Gwynedd, Conwy and northern parts of Ceredigion and Powys.

More than 10 flood warnings and 35 flood alerts have been issued by NRW on Wednesday morning.

Network Rail said the Conwy Valley Line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno Junction will be closed throughout New Year’s Day because of fallen trees on the line and an assessment of the embankment.

Risk

Charlotte Morgan, NRW’s Duty Tactical Manager, said:“ Our teams will be doing all they can to reduce the risk for communities, but we want to make sure people are doing all they can to keep themselves safe. People should keep away from swollen rivers, and not drive or walk through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and can contain hidden hazards.

“Following the damage caused during Storm Darragh, safety is our top priority, and the danger from falling trees or branches remains significant. We are therefore asking people to avoid visiting our sites and we may close our car park and other facilities at short notice.”

Flood alerts and flood warnings are updated on the Natural Resources Wales website every 15 minutes.

Elsewhere, more than 130 flood warnings are in place for England and 32 for Scotland.

Over the last 48 hours, some parts of the North West of England saw almost a month’s worth of rain, Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said.

Honister Pass in Cumbria saw nearly 6in (150mm) of rain, while Rochdale in Greater Manchester had 3in (77mm).

Mr Morgan said: “There’s still probably likely to be further flooding across the course of the day, I’m expecting further issues this afternoon.

“We are potentially expecting the flood situation to get worse before it gets better.”