Road, rail and flight disruption as Storm Arwen wreaks havoc across North East

There has been travel chaos across the North East as Storm Arwen brought severe storm conditions to the region.

Flights were cancelled, train services were disrupted and roads were shut as a rare red weather warning was in place across the North East.

Passengers were spotted queuing in Edinburgh Waverley station as rail services were thrown into disarray.

Between 5pm and midnight on Friday, all trains on the East Coast Main Line to and from Edinburgh were cancelled.

Stranded passengers were also unable to travel on the A1, which was closed north of Berwick after 5pm.

Train passengers are still being advised by LNER not to travel this weekend as strong winds impact rail services and cause disruption.

Elsewhere, the Shields Ferry suspended service between North and South Shields and the Metro halted trains between St James and Shiremoor due to obstructions on the line.

Nexus also urged travellers to only use the Metro if it was "essential" as winds reached speeds of up to 80mph.

On the roads, the Redheugh Bridge was closed to all high-sided vehicles and the A1 southbound was blocked near Berwick after a tree came down.

Three flights to Aberdeen, Southampton and Paris from Newcastle International Airport were also cancelled.

On top of this, Storm Arwen brought snow to parts of the region, including Consett and Tow Law.

As the weather worsened, multiple power cuts were reported across County Durham and Northumberland with thousands of people left without power.

These include the postcode areas of DH7, DH8, DH9, DL13, NE61, NE66, NE70, NE71 and TD15 among many others.

Many tourist sites across the region including Bamburgh Castle, Tynemouth Priory and Belsay Hall and Gardens have shut temporarily due to the bad weather.

Prudhoe and Seaham Christmas lights switch-on have also been cancelled as well as the Winter Wonderland at Newcastle Racecourse.

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