Storm Goretti: Hundreds of homes without power and gridlocked roads in Midlands

Cars were at a standstill on the A38 as they were trapped behind stranded or abandoned lorries and cars.

Heavy snow from Storm Goretti has brought widespread travel disruption across the Midlands.

The Met Office has recorded 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire and 7cm in Nottingham.

Thousands of homes in the region were without power heading into this morning - at 11am 14,000 had no power in the West Midlands, and more than 700 had no power in the East Midlands, according to the National Grid’s website,

Many schools have also closed today.

Transport has been impacted with train services and flights cancelled and delayed and cars abandoned.

Airports

Birmingham Airport has reopened on a reduced basis after having closed because of heavy snow.

The airport posted on X saying: “Our runway has reopened on a reduced basis, and our teams are working to get passengers away as efficiently as possible. "Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience Storm Goretti has caused, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority. Passengers due to travel are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline."

East Midlands Airport has also reopened this morning with flights resuming but some delays expected.

Snow ploughs were used overnight to clear the airport's runways. The airport said there were over 17cm of snow.

Pictures from East Midlands Airport

Roads

Many major roads have been brought to a standstill.

Traffic was queuing on the A38 from A38 (Bassetts Pole Island) to M6 Toll JT2 (Coleshill) this morning because lorries were stranded and cars abandoned overnight.

The A4103 in Herefordshire is closed in both directions, while the M5 Southbound in Worcestershire is partially blocked, as is the Aston Expressway in Birmingham.

Hagley Road was also affected last night heading out of Birmingham, as many cars were facing long delays as they tried to get home.

Railway

It's also been causing problems on the railways - with cancellations and delays on CrossCountry trains, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Railway, East Midlands Railway and Chiltern Railways.

West Midlands Railway (WMR) passengers are urged not to travel at all on the railway today. Their services are suspended until further notice due to significant damage to railway infrastructure across the West Midlands overnight.

The damage to infrastructure includes signals, overhead lines, and track-side equipment, preventing normal operations.

Road conditions caused by the storm prevent engineering teams from reaching affected sites to assess damage and carry out essential repairs.

Network Rail teams say they'll be reopening routes for passengers in a priority order. They aim to reopen the following routes by midday at the earliest:

- Stafford – Birmingham – Rugby

- Birmingham – Marylebone

- Birmingham – Derby

- Birmingham – Bromsgrove (and to the South West)

Metro

Services on the West Midlands Metro tram network were unable to operate in Birmingham on Friday morning due to a fallen tree.

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