UK floods
Rescue teams wade through flood waters that have inundated homes in the Huntington Road area of York Getty Images

Families looking to travel in the run-up to New Year's Eve could face major delays as Storm Frank continues to batter parts of the UK. Gales of up to 80mph and heavy rain have affected roads, rail, ferries and air travel.

Fallen trees and major flooding have seen stretches of roads closed and even sections washed away. Bridges suffering structural damage due to rising water levels have led to emergency closures with evacuations of homes downstream.

Rail journeys have also been affected by flooding and the extreme weather with many routes across Scotland suffering severe delays. Ferry companies have had to cancel sailings due to rough seas with roads leading to ports also closed, while some airports have been forced to divert planes and delay flights.

A list of the major travel disruptions as of 30 December can be found below, with links to where you can receive regular updates:

Air travel

The high winds have seen flights affected at Dublin and Belfast airports, with air traffic control forced to divert planes to nearby runways amid safety fears.

Dublin Airport has seen flights affected by severe winds with some planes being diverted. The airport posted online at 2.12pm on 30 December: "Severe windy conditions impacting flight schedule. Please contact your airline for latest flight info." Passengers are being advised to check their flight status here before they travel.

Belfast Airport also saw several flights delayed and some even diverted on Tuesday night (29 December) during what ground staff said was "horrendous" weather. Some services are operating again but passengers are advised to check their flight status here before they travel.

Roads

tadcaster floods
A soldier looks on after the bridge at Tadcaster collapsed due to high water levels Getty

There are numerous road closures across the UK due to fallen trees, flooding and damaged streets/bridges. Some of the main closures in the most heavily affected areas of the country can be seen here:

Road closures (England)

North Yorkshire:

  • A19 closed between the A645 Weeland Road junction in Eggborough and the A63 junction in Burn, because of flooding.
  • A659 River Wharfe Bridge in Tadcaster closed in both directions between the Mill Lane junction and the New Street junction, because of structural damage.

Cumbria:

  • A592 closed both ways between Glenridding and Pooley Bridge due to flooding.
  • A591 closed both ways between Pye Lane, Grasmere, and B5322 Back Lane, Legburthwaite, due to a landslip.
  • A5086: Gote Bridge in Cockermouth closed between the Derwent Street junction and the Wakefield Road junction, because of emergency repairs.
  • A6: Eamont Bridge closed in both directions between the Skirsgill Lane junction and the Lowther Glen junction, because of emergency repairs. Diversion in operation.
  • A5091 closed in both directions between the A66 junction in Troutbeck and the A592 junction in Dockray, because of a fallen tree.

West Yorkshire:

  • A656 Barnsdale Road in Allerton Bywater closed between the Station Road junction and the William Street junction, because of flooding.

Road closures (Northern Ireland)

The following roads have been closed in Northern Ireland due to flooding and fallen trees:

County Antrim: Loughanmore Road, Antrim; Mase Road, Ballycarry; Knockbracken Road, Castlereagh, at the junction with Lisnabreeny Road; Ballyhanwood Road, Dundonald; Moira Road, Glenavy; Oldpark Road, Lisburn; Eglantine Road, Lisburn

County Armagh: Markethill Road, Portadown

County Down: A1 southbound between Dromore and Banbridge; Clay Road, Banbridge; Station Road, Castlewellan; Drumcullen Road, Downpatrick; Banbridge Road, Gilford; Whitney Hill, Holywood; Hilltown Road, Mayobridge, at Derryleckagh Road; Glenavy Road, Moira; Kilmorey Street, Newry; Portaferry Road, Newtownards, between Finlays Road and Mount Stewart Road; Mound Road, Warrenpoint, between Warrenpoint Road and Upper Dromore Road; Derrylackagh Road, Warrenpoint.

County Fermanagh: Drumanure Road, Derrygonnelly; Rossmacaffry Road, Lisnaskea.

County Londonderry: Rosure Road, Desertmartin, between Killybogan Road and Curr Road.

County Tyrone: Corick Road, Clogher, between Crossowen Road and Ballymagowan Road; Ballymagowan Road, Clogher, between Clogher and Knockmany Road; Tullywiggin Road, Cookstown.

Ferries

Ferries travelling to and from Britain/Ireland/Northern Ireland have seen cancellations and delays due to rough seas.

The Cairnryan/Larne route is operating but with delays and passengers should expect to wait at ports. Roads from Girvan to Cairnryan Port remain closed due to flooding and passengers are advised to take care and allow extra time for any travel.

The Liverpool (Birkenhead)/Belfast route is also experiencing delays due to adverse weather conditions.

Scottish ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne has seen 18 of its 26 routes disrupted in the wake of Storm Frank, with a full list found here.

Rail

Poor weather conditions have affected train journeys across many parts of the UK:

  • Flooding at Pencoed is causing delays of up to 55 minutes to trains between Cardiff Central and Bridgend via Pontyclun. This is expected until 6pm.
  • Flooding at Whimple means that trains are unable to run between Honiton and Exeter St Davids. Disruption is expected to continue until 7pm.

Poor weather conditions are affecting various parts of Scotland with the following routes affected:

  • Kilwinning and Ardrossan Harbour / Largs: Buses are replacing trains between Kilwinning and Ardrossan Harbour / Largs until approximately 7pm.
  • Airdrie and Balloch: Trains are unable to run between Dumbarton Central and Balloch because of flooding at Renton. Passengers with valid tickets can travel on First Glasgow Buses between Dumbarton and Balloch. This is expected until 6pm.
  • Inverness and Kyle Of Lochalsh: Trains are currently unable to run between Garve and Achnasheen because of a landslip. Road transport is unavailable due to the road conditions and passengers are advised NOT to travel on this route. It is anticipated the line will be closed until the end of service on 31 December and will not reopen until 2 January. Services are not planned to operate on New Years Day.
  • Glasgow Central / Kilmarnock and Stranraer: Trains are unable to run between Girvan and Stranraer because of flooding between Barrhill and Girvan and also between Barrhead and Kilmarnock. Passengers are advised to use Help points are speak to a member of station staff. This is expected to continue until end of service
  • Glasgow Queen Street / Edinburgh and Inverness: Flooding at Blair Atholl means that trains are unable to run between Perth and Inverness. This is expected to continue until 5pm. Passengers can alternatively travel on train services between Perth and Aberdeen where services operate between Aberdeen and Inverness.

For regular updates check here.

More about UK floods