UK gas storage levels ‘concerningly low’ after cold weather snap | News UK

Traffic is ‘coping well’ after road closures were lifted following the response to a crash on the A50 near the M1 earlier this afternoon.

The A50 eastbound exit slip to the A453 and M1 Junction 24 had been closed for several hours after the collision.

Some rivers are totally frozen over (Credits: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

The UK has recorded its coldest January night in 15 years.

Temperatures this week have plunged well below freezing on more than one occasion in multiple locations.

The coldest temperature recorded thus far was on Thursday evening in Altnaharra, Scotland, where temperatures plummeted to as low -22.3C – the coldest any January night has been since 2010.

And it’s only set to get colder with Friday night forecast to bring the lowest temperatures of the cold snap in parts of Scotland and northern England.

So, make sure you wrap up warm tonight.

Police were called to Hanwell station at 1.15pm (Credits: Aisling Legros)

A person has died this afternoon at Hanwell train station in West London.

Police were called to a ‘casualty on the tracks’ shortly after 1pm today, but the person was pronounced dead soon after their arrival.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious.

As the incident is being dealt with, all lines between London Paddington and Reading have been closed.

West London underground lines, including the Elizabeth, Hammersmith & City and Piccadilly lines, are operating with ‘severe delays.’

The Transport for London website states: ‘No service between Paddington and Reading/ Heathrow Terminals, and severe delays between Paddington and Abbey Wood while emergency services deal with a casualty on the track.

‘Minor delays on the rest of the line.’

Major disruption is expected until at least 4.30pm.

A road traffic incident has brought traffic to a standstill on the M1 in Leicestershire, Leicestershire Live reports.

The affected area is the ‘busy stretch’ near East Midlands Airport, with all lanes closed at Junction 24, where the A50 joins at the on-slip.

Drivers are being urged to avoid the junction and find different routes.

A former Conservative peer, Lord David Frost, admitted the country came ‘unsettling close’ to ‘rolling power cuts’ on Wednesday.

Amid the freezing cold conditions, Brits have been urged to prepare for the possibility of blackouts in the coming days as temperatures continue to plummet.

The cold conditions, coupled with gas shortages, could create the perfect storm for a blackout.

Taco Engelaar, energy infrastructure expert and Managing Director at Neara, commented: ‘Frosty temperatures like we’re seeing this week typically lead to a spike in household energy use. When millions of homes try to warm up at the same time, the grid experiences a surge that can test its capacity, resulting in bottlenecks or restrictions on energy flow that put our power supply under strain.

‘Then, when snowfall hits, the extra weight of it settling on tree branches can cause branches to bow or even snap. This can cause significant damage to our power supply if the branches are within reach of a power line.

‘If this snow then turns to ice, this extra weight can be too much for lines to bear and can lead to snapping or short-circuiting.’

Drivers have been caught in a monster queue on the M1 near Northampton (Picture: National Highways)

Traffic has ground to a halt on the M1 near Northampton after a crash on the motorway.

A lorry and van crashed on the northbound carriageway between junction J14 (Newport Pagnell) and J15 near Northampton at lunchtime.

The van left the road as a result, National Highways said.

There are delays of up to 40 minutes and around six miles of congestion.

Two lanes out of four are closed due to recovery work, an Inrix traffic alert shows.

It comes after the nearby A43 remains closed southbound after a crash this morning.

The A43 is closed southbound between the M1 and A5 Towcester junction, while the northbound carriageway was reopened.

Passengers travelling through London Paddington face severe disruption after all lines have closed.

All routes to and from Paddington are closed while the emergency services deal with an incident in west London.

Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express services are affected, with services through the station cancelled, delayed or revised.

The disruption is expected to last at least until 2.15pm.

Snowy rooftops in Buxton yesterday (Picture: Reuters)

Some roads near Buxton, Derbyshire, have also closed following heavy snowfall and icy conditions in the area.

The A54 is shut in both directions between A537 Cat and Fiddle Road to Hollin Lane
The A537 is just passable due to snow from Ecton Avenue to the A54
Goyt’s Lane is closed both ways between Embridge Causeway and Old Longhill Road
Blackwood House Lane is shut both ways due to ice between Park House Lane and Lea Laughton

One lane is closed westbound on the M56 near Runcorn (Picture: National Highways)

One lane has been forced to shut on the M56 near Runcorn after flooding.

The lane is closed westbound between junction J11 (A56 Chester Road) to J12 (A557 Runcorn).

For now, traffic appears to be coping well.

This group of ladies are braver than me (Credits: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

The swimmers broke the ice, literally, in Avon Lagoon (Credits: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Temperatures could reach -20C tonight in Scotland (Credits: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

A brave group of Scots swam in freezing cold waters this morning.

Swimmer Emma Mooney was joined by a number of others in breaking the ice at Avon Lagoon, West Lothian, this morning.

To give you a sense of how could that water is – temperatures in Northern Scotland could reach -20C tonight.

That’s seriously cold.

A man was rushed to hospital after a crash this morning involving a lorry in Greenwich, South-East London.

The driver of the lorry involved in the collision was the person taken to hospital following the incident near the Blackwall Tunnel Approach.

Ambulance services were called to the Greenwich area shortly before 7am this morning.

The Met Office have warned that road closures remain in place.

The casualty’s condition is currently unknown.

The incident occurred at a BP garage in Rayleigh, Essex

The incident occurred at a BP garage in Rayleigh, Essex, when more than 30 drivers filled up their cars with contaminated fuel, The Sun reports.

Footage showed one car being helped from a recovery firm on the side of the forecourt.

Owner of the garage, Lee Pretlove said: ‘This does not happen frequently, and it is very rare but we are still doing jobs around this on Thursday, it has been three days solid.

‘We never see this many at all, the technicians pass jobs on to us and we have had loads of calls, we have been inundated.’

The garage was shut on Tuesday before reopening on Wednesday with the pump out of use.

The incident occurred in Greenwich, London (Credits: George Cracknell Wright)

The crash involved a flat-bed lorry (Credits: George Cracknell Wright)

Two lanes have been closed in Greenwich, London, after a crash involving a flat-bed lorry on the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach this morning.

The cause of the incident is currently unknown, but drivers have been warned to take extra care when taking to the road this morning amid the icy conditions.

Yellow weather warnings remain in place across much of the UK.

The RAC has said that the extremely cold weather this week has led to one of their busiest weeks in the last five years.

Alice Simpson, an RAC spokesperson, said: ‘This is one of our busiest weeks for breakdowns in the five years since the COVID pandemic, with our roadside teams working flat out to rescue drivers.

‘We’re prioritising members who are away from home or in dangerous locations, and waiting times are inevitably longer. Drivers setting out must ensure they are ready for the conditions.

‘Until the weather warms up on Sunday, there is an ongoing risk of ice and snow which will make the roads treacherous. Sticking to major routes that have been gritted is advised. 

‘We also urge anyone setting out to have an emergency kit in the boot,  that includes warm clothes, waterproofs, food, a flask of hot drink and a mobile phone power bank.’

The RAC have said that the extremely cold weather this week has led to one of their busiest weeks in the last five years.

Alice Simpson, an RAC spokesperson, said: ‘This is one of our busiest weeks for breakdowns in the five years since the COVID pandemic, with our roadside teams working flat out to rescue drivers.

‘We’re prioritising members who are away from home or in dangerous locations, and waiting times are inevitably longer. Drivers setting out must ensure they are ready for the conditions.

‘Until the weather warms up on Sunday, there is an ongoing risk of ice and snow which will make the roads treacherous. Sticking to major routes that have been gritted is advised. 

‘We also urge anyone setting out to have an emergency kit in the boot,  that includes warm clothes, waterproofs, food, a flask of hot drink and a mobile phone power bank.’

A map of the weather warnings issued by the Met Office today (Provider: Metro Graphic)

Yellow weather warnings have been put in place by the Met Office across the UK.

In Wales, the South-West, East, and North-West of England, the warnings are for ice with temperatures dropping below freezing.

Scotland’s is for snow and ice, after temperatures dropped to a staggering -16ºC last night in northern parts of the country.

Temperatures have dropped below freezing this morning (Credits: Phil Barnett/PA Wire)

Lakes and ponds have frozen over around the country, including at Trafalgar Square (Credits: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

With Brits wrapping up warm across the country today to brave the freezing conditions, the ice and frost has made for scenic imagery.

A points failure between Leicester and Loughborough railway stations is causing significant delays to rail services in the area.

National Rail have warned that ‘trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 80 minutes or revised.’

Delays were first announced earlier this morning and were expected to last until 9am. Disruption is now predicted to last until at least 11am.

A number of roads across the country have closed this morning following incidents likely to have been caused by today’s icy conditions.

The A40 in Gloucestershire closed shortly after 8am between the A4136 AND B4222 due to an ‘overturned vehicle.’

The A30 is too closed in both directions near Pool and Redruth due to a ‘police led incident.’

Drivers are being urged to plan ahead if they are planning to get behind the wheel in the next hour or two.

The AA and car insurers are warning of dangerous driving conditions (Credits: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock)

Car insurer RAC have said it has seen the highest levels of demand for rescues in a three-day period since December 2022.

January has got off to a bitterly cold start, particularly this week, and those freezing conditions have led to icy and dangerous roads which, in turn, brings more accidents.

Things are not set to change heading into the weekend either, with the UK Health Security Agency has extended its cold weather health alert until Sunday.