Updated: Lorries overturn and rail lines blocked as Storm Otto brings travel disruption to North Yorkshire
People are being told to check before they travel as Storm Otto hits York and North Yorkshire today (Friday, 17 February).
The storm, the first to be named this winter, is already bringing disruption in North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police said this morning: “Very strong winds developing through Friday morning associated with Storm Otto may bring disruption to travel in North Yorkshire.
“We are receiving numerous calls involving high sided vehicles being blown over on the #A1m and other routes.”
Live updates on all these incidents can be found in our live travel blog here.
Problems reported today included:
A1M closed in several places
The A1M in North Yorkshire is closed northbound between J51 Leeming and J52 Catterick due to a collision involving an overturned heavy goods vehicle, the National Highways reported at 7.05pm.
There are also overturned vehicles on the northbound A1M at the J48 slip road and between J48 and J49.
Train lines blocked
A tree has fallen onto the railway tracks between Harrogate and Knaresborough and all lines are blocked.
Northern rail says trains are being cancelled and severely delayed.
And an object caught in the overhead wires has blocked all lines at Leeds.
LNER is reporting major disruption with no electric trains running between York and Edinburgh.
TransPennine Express has warned customers to check their route before they travel. Trains between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh will move at reduced speeds in response to the weather.
Trees down
Trees are reported down in different parts of North Yorkshire, particularly in the Harrogate area.
One fell on a Porsche in Harrogate. It was parked on Granby Road.
Charlie Lowe, a 29-year-old cake business owner from Harrogate, photographed the crushed Porsche on her way to work. She said: “I felt shocked and I think it’s nerve-wracking.
“I felt a bit nervous driving around Harrogate as a result.”
Around 1,300 homes in Ripon were hit by a power cut.
The storm will move east across the far north of the UK from the early hours of Friday morning, bringing gusts in excess of 75mph.
The Met Office has said the high winds will mean travel disruption and possible damage to buildings in places and warned the drivers of high-sided vehicles to be careful.
It said there is also a danger of large waves on the North Sea coast “as well as a chance of some damage to buildings and infrastructure”.
Yellow weather warnings for wind have been issued for that cover all of York and North Yorkshire. It runs until 2pm today.