Storm Bert LIVE: Power cuts and travel chaos as UK braces for 40cm of snow

Scores of new flood alerts have been issued this morning, as authorities brace for thick snow to rapidly thaw amid predictions of up to 100mm of rainfall in some areas.

In England, the Environment Agency now has 49 flood alerts in place – mostly concentrated in the South West and North West – and one more severe flood warning, which means flooding is imminent.

Scotland’s environmental protection agency has issued six flood alerts, while Natural Resources Wales has 20 flood alerts in place.

The Killin Mountain Rescue Team, which operates in the southern Highlands, has warned of agencies reporting that heavy snow – followed by rainfall – will create snow instability and an avalanche risk, amid “wintery and wild” conditions.

More than 60,000 households in Ireland have been hit with power cuts after Storm Bert swept across the country on Friday.

The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said that high winds had caused power outages for 60,000 customers, with the worst affected counties including Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Cavan, Monaghan, Kerry and Cork.

Flights have been disrupted at Edinburghand Newcastle airports as Storm Bert brings heavy snow to Scotland and North East England.

Newcastle airport’s online departure board shows many flights set to depart this morning have been delayed, while the 9.30am British Airways service to Heathrow was cancelled.

The live arrival board shows flights diverted to Belfast and Edinburgh. However, just three flights appear to have so far taken off from Edinburgh Airport this morning, following several hours of continuous snowfall.

Newcastle airport posted on X: “Due to Storm Bert, the airport has had continuous, heavy snow this morning. Our snow team is operational and are working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum and we will provide a further update later this morning.

“Passengers are advised to visit our website for the latest flight information and to contact their airline directly if they have any queries.”

Edinburgh airport said: “With StormBert moving in, please plan ahead if you are travelling today. Passengers should check with their airline for the latest information on their flight.”

The Severn Bridge has been closed in both directions due to strong winds.

Road users in Gloucestershire are advised to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge as an alternate route, National Highways said.

Snow is falling across swathes of the UK, including in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Derbyshire and Northumberland.

Perth and Kinross Council cancelled its annual Perth Christmas lights switch-on event over safety and travel concerns.

An ambert weather warning covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and some of the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said Storm Bert’s arrival in the UK was following a “relatively quiet” night on Friday, with temperatures dropping to around -4C across parts of Scotland and -1C in eastern England.

“We’ll see two to four hours of heavy snow across parts of northern England and Scotland during Saturday morning,” Mr McGivern said.

“This snow will accumulate thick and fast, with five to 10cm at lower levels and as much as 20 to 40cm over hills accompanied by strong winds.

“You can expect blizzards over hills across northern England and Scotland, atrocious conditions for travelling and going over the hills and also the risk of power interruptions because of snow build up on power lines.

“So all in all, a multiple hazard event as we go into Saturday morning.”

British Airways has grounded 36 domestic and European flights to and from London Heathrow today. They include two round-trips to Glasgow, Manchester and Nice.

Swiss has cancelled two Zurich flights and one to Geneva.

Other airlines cancelling single flights at Heathrow include Aer Lingus to Dublin, Air France to Paris CDG and Lufthansa to Frankfurt.

The Independent is seeking confirmation from Heathrow airport and British Airways about the precise reason for the cancellations. When severe weather is forecast, the “flow rate” of arrivals at Heathrow is often reduced, triggering cancellations.

Loganair links from Glasgow to Tiree and Barra are grounded. The airline is offering any passengers booked to the Western Isles or the Isle of Man today the chance to re-book on another day within the next week.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern has said temperatures that will rise quickly as the storm brings with it milder air from the Atlantic, resulting in a “rapid thaw” by the afternoon.

“The melting snow and the heavy rain could lead to localised flooding in places but the wettest spots would be Wales, in the South West, particularly over south-facing hills, that’s where we’re likely to see gales and certainly the risk of impacts from wind as well as from rain,” the meteorologist said.

Over the weekend, Wales and the South West are at risk of seeing 75mm of rain widely, and potentially more than 100mm over the higher parts of South Wales and Dartmoor.