Rail users are facing disruption on various lines in Essex as an aftermath of windy conditions felt overnight. A fallen tree has caused problems for c2c services across parts of the county whilst there are also problems with the London Overground.
C2C services are suspended when travelling via Upminster eastbound between Barking and Pitsea and Barking and Grays. Services are being diverted via Purfleet. An object caught on the overhead line at Wood Street, meanwhile, means there is no London Overground service between Hackney Downs and Chingford.
Essex was subject to a Met Office yellow weather warning for wind all day on Monday. Meteorologists warned that wind speeds would stay around 20 to 25mph but could reach highs of 50mph.
In Chelmsford, emergency services were called to The Range after windy weather caused some damage to the front of the High Street store. The shop remained open, however, with notes on the door encouraging visitors to enter through their Bond Street doors.
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09:28Matt Lee
Greater Anglia impacted yesterday
Yesterday rail users were seen gathered in large crowds at Liverpool Street Station in London after issues between the capital and Stansted Airport.
Trains from Liverpool Street and the Airport were unable to travel past Broxbourne.
09:26Matt Lee
Colchester Zoo attraction closed due to storm damage to the roof
Visitors to Colchester Zoo are currently unable to see the orangutans due to storm damage to the roof of their habitat. Rajang’s Forest is currently closed but the Sea Lion tunnel remains open.
A spokesperson said: “It is not yet known how long the repairs will take to complete but please be assured our team are doing the utmost to reopen this area for visitors as soon as possible. Due to the location of damage being close to the main driveway, you may also experience some delays on entry and exit of the Zoo whilst this work takes place.”
Colchester Zoo say orangutans Tiga, Mali and Tatau are not injured and “are quite intrigued watching the maintenance team fix their roof”.
09:10Matt Lee
Compensation for delays
Rail users who are delayed might be eligible for compensation for your journey. Find out more about the compensation offered by c2c and how to claim, here.
The following information has been provided by c2c:
c2c smartcard users: You will receive automatic compensation provided you tapped your Smartcard at both the start and end of your journey. If you have not been able to do so, you will have to make a manual claim for your delay. This is because our system will not have full information about your journey, so cannot calculate your automatic compensation. We recommend you check your online account to ensure our automatic payments do reflect your actual delay. If you feel they do not, you can use your online account to correct the automatic system or alternatively submit a manual claim.
Paper ticket holders, Oyster and contactless card users: Please fill out your details on this online delay repay form.
09:08Matt Lee
London Overground part suspended near Chingford
There is no service between Hackney Downs and Chingford due to an obstruction on the overhead wires at Wood Street.
There is a good service on all other London Overground routes.
09:06Matt Lee
C2C asks customers only to travel “if essential”
Customers using c2c in the Upminster area of Essex have been asked to travel only if essential due to damage to overhead lines between Barking and West Horndon.
The damage is so extensive that fewer services are able to run between Barking and Pitsea towards Shoeburyness. A bus replacement service is in operation between Upminster and Grays via Ockendon and Chafford Hundred.
A c2c spokesperson said: “Network Rail engineers have been on site overnight and will continue to repair the overhead lines today.
“Services have been severely affected this morning and may continue into the afternoon peak so we are advising passenger to only travel if essential.
“Please check on National Rail Enquiries for the latest travel information if you do need to travel.”
09:04Matt Lee
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to this live blog. We’ll bring you updates when we can.
