Storm Floris disrupts road, rails and ferries and sees festival events cancelled

Independent

4 hours ago

Rail, road and ferry travel have been disrupted and festival events cancelled as Storm Floris sweeps across Scotland, bringing with it heavy rain and gusts in excess of 100mph.
Disruption on the railways has left passengers facing multiple cancellations, while a number of roads around the country have been blocked.
Western coastal areas are bearing the brunt of the summer storm but strong winds and heavy rain are affecting much of the rest of the country.
An amber weather warning is in place in an area stretching from the central belt to the north coast until 11pm, with the Met Office saying injuries and danger to life are expected from large waves hitting seafronts, coastal roads and properties.
The rest of the country is covered by a yellow weather warning until 11.59pm on Monday.
Police said they had received 'multiple reports' of campervans being blown over on the A87 between Broadford and Portree on Skye, while in Aberdeenshire the A96 is closed in both directions near Old Rayne because of several fallen trees.
Fallen trees have also seen a number of other roads closed, including the A95 Rosarie road in both directions and the A96 in a number of locations, while the A9 at Daviot is partially blocked by a fallen tree.
High winds have also led to the closure of the A9 Dornoch Bridge in both directions, and the A1 Tyne Bridge is only open to cars and single-decker buses.
Those driving in poor weather have been urged to avoid the worst-hit areas and slow down when on the roads while allowing time for delays.
The storm has also had a 'severe impact' on railways, with a number of services being pre-emptively cancelled and speed limits in place on all routes.
Edinburgh to Fife/Perth/Dundee; Perth to Dundee/Aberdeen/Inverness and the West Highland Line are among the routes that were closed at noon on Monday.
Network Rail has reported a number of storm-related incidents, including trees falling onto overhead lines at King's Park in Glasgow, Cornton near Stirling and near Paisley, and damage to overhead wires in the Hamilton Circle area.
LNER has warned passengers not to travel north of Newcastle while Avanti West Coast has advised passengers not to travel north of Preston, as it warned it will be 'heavily impacted' by the weather.
Meanwhile, ScotRail has urged people to secure all outdoor equipment such as trampolines.
Posting on social media, the rail operator said: 'We're asking anyone with garden equipment, such as tents, trampolines or furniture, to secure items so that they don't blow onto the tracks and interfere with lineside equipment.'
The Kusz family are among those contending with delays and cancellations on the railway, as they attempt to return home to Blackpool with 11 pieces of luggage following a family holiday in Ayr.
They are currently at Glasgow Central station where they said there had been 'about nine cancellations'.
Paul Audoire, 59, told the PA news agency: 'The weather is not as bad as we thought, they are just taking precautions.
'We need to get off at Carlisle, wait for another train, get off at Preston and change trains again.
'I don't know how long we need to wait at Carlisle or at Preston. It's just a case of leapfrogging all the way.'
Ferries have also seen widespread disruption, with ferry operator CalMac cancelling a number of sailings on Monday as a result of high winds.
Festivals in the Edinburgh area have also been disrupted, with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a ceilidh event on Princes Street Gardens and the Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick all cancelled on Monday as a result of the expected high winds.
Earlier Scottish Government ministers said it was 'imperative' that people follow advice as Storm Floris hits the country.
In a post on X, First Minister John Swinney appealed to the public to 'please stay safe', adding that said weather conditions will be 'very difficult' on Monday with disruption to some services.
Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland news programme Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'Storm Floris is well and truly with us today and it's imperative that people follow advice because there will be significant disruption on our travel network.'
Ms Constance said the Government's resilience room had been activated to give authorities a clear picture of the situation around the country.
The minister added: 'If you have an elderly relative or neighbour who may be a wee bit vulnerable, please be a good neighbour, be friendly, just check they're alright.
She said anyone who has to travel is likely to face disruption and should plan ahead, adding: 'Consider this a winter journey as opposed to a summer journey.
'Please make sure you've got warm clothes, food, water, plenty of fuel and that your mobile phone is charged up. '
A yellow warning for other parts of Scotland is in place from 6am until midnight.
Forecasters have warned people who are outdoors to avoid walking or seeking shelter near buildings or trees, and said that loose items including bins and garden furniture could blow away unless secured.
The Met Office said there was the potential for power cuts in some areas as well as disruption to mobile phone coverage.
Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August.
January's Storm Eowyn was the most recent.