Storm Isha hits travels and power services across UK

[January 22, 2024]  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's rail network was disrupted, flights were cancelled and thousands of homes were left without power on Monday after the country was battered by Storm Isha overnight.  

A person views as large waves hit the harbour wall at sunrinse during Storm Isha in Newhaven, southern Britain, January 22, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Scotland was worst hit as gusts of over 90 miles per hour (144 km/h) led to the cancellation of all train services. Dozens of flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were also cancelled.

Trains in some parts of southern England were affected including services between London to Gatwick Airport.

UK Power Networks said it had restored power to most properties which had lost electricity in eastern and south eastern England, but about 45,000 homes in Northern Ireland remained without power.

Across the North Sea, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Sunday cancelled dozens of flights scheduled for Monday as a preventive measure because of the strong winds expected in the Netherlands.

Airlines also cancelled 102 flights into and out of Dublin on Sunday.

Scotland's train services will be impacted until Network Rail Scotland has inspected tracks for damage following the storm, ScotRail said on social media platform X.

(Reporting by Sarah Young and Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by William Schomberg)

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