Thousands of homes left without power as Storm Gerrit lashes England and Scotland

Heathrow Airport cancelled 18 flights on Wednesday due to air traffic control restrictions

Storm Gerrit has wreaked havoc on the travel network and left thousands of homes without power. Parts of Scotland experienced significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.

High winds and heavy rain and snow damaged electricity networks across Scotland as fallen trees, branches and other debris brought down power lines while there was damage to property by strong gusts in Greater Manchester. SSEN said power had been restored to 25,000 properties with a further 16,000 homes entering Thursday without power.

An SSEN spokesman said: “The widespread extent of the damage, the ongoing adverse weather conditions, and the challenges accessing faults due to fallen trees, flooding and road closures, together mean that full network restoration will take time.” Some customers in rural areas may be off supply for up to 48 hours.

Scotland Police confirmed the A9 has fully reopened in both directions and is “passable with care” after snow blocked the road between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie. Inspector Michelle Burns, from Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said: “Conditions for travel in the affected areas may be hazardous and extra caution should be exercised by all road users.

The A90 northbound has also reopened after earlier closures, but southbound lanes at Lochlands, Forfar remain off-limits with local diversions in place. Scotland’s rail network experienced widespread cancellations and delays with a train driver’s cabin hit by a falling tree.

Aslef Scotland confirmed the driver was uninjured and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said passengers were also unharmed. ScotRail suspended multiple train services until further notice, impacting trains travelling while other lines saw their timetables shelved until “a full inspection can be carried out” on the railway network.

Train operator LNER, which runs services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line, also advised customers not to travel due to the weather. Customers stranded by the disruption were told to book hotels which they can claim back.

Avanti West Coast, which operates services on the West Coast Main Line, said its route to Scotland is impassable with all services to and from London terminating at Preston. Those with pre-booked tickets for travel between Preston and either Edinburgh or Glasgow can board trains on Thursday or Friday, the operator said.

Authorities in Greater Manchester were called to several weather incidents amid reports of a possible tornado which damaged properties in Dukinfield, Stalybridge and Mossley at around 11pm on Wednesday. Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, Electricity North West and Tameside Council responded to reports of short bursts of intense, damaging gusts.

Tameside Council opened a reception area at Dukinfield Town Hall to cater to any displaced residents. The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation said a detailed site investigation would need to be undertaken before it can confirm the damage was caused by a rare British tornado.

Heathrow Airport cancelled 18 flights on Wednesday due to air traffic control restrictions including routes from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester as well as to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris. Storm Gerrit also brought plenty of rain gauge at the Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District recording 80mm – nearly half the usual 178mm monthly rainfall for December, the Met Office said.

The fastest recorded wind gusts so far are 86mph at Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland, 84mph at Fair Isle and 83mph at Capel Curig, north Wales, the forecaster said.