Flooding cancels Eurostar trains as snow and ice Met Office warnings issued – live

St Pancras International is reportedly ‘in chaos’ as passengers face major major cancellations this morning.

Southeastern and Eurostar trains were cancelled this morning due to flooding in tunnels near Ebbsfleet International in southeast England.

The Independent’s Travel Correspondent Simon Calder is currently at the station and said the travel hub was “in chaos”.

Scotland is under rain, snow and ice warnings this weekend as the Met Office predicts high-ground areas in Scotland are likely to see “significant snow”, with possibly 10 to 20cm building up.

A yellow warning for snow and rain will come into force at 8pm on Saturday and run until midnight.

Another warning says frequent showers have increased the risk of icy surfaces, urging people to be careful of slips and falls on icy surfaces.

Strong winds and rain continue today as the UK braces for an unsettled New Year’s weekend with fears of another storm hitting the country.

The Met Office forecast says winds will continue to be strong, locally reaching gale force, with cloud and occasional heavy rain, over the northern parts today.

This weather system spreads northeast today, encompassing most regions by evening, with blustery showers dotting the southwest. Mild conditions persist in the southern parts, Met forecast says.

As the weekend progresses, the far northeast of Scotland will continue to see rain and gale force winds. Meanwhile, other regions will experience blustery showers, though conditions are expected to be relatively drier in the north. Temperatures are set to inch closer to normal, yet the impact may be lessened by strong winds throughout the day.

A yellow weather warning for rain and snow has been issued for much of Scotland on Saturday.

The warning is in place from 8am until midnight on Saturday with up to 25mm of rain forecast at lower levels, according to the Met Office.

A period of sleet and snow, turning to rain, may lead to some flooding and travel disruption.

Bus and train services may be affected, with journey times taking longer, with some spray and flooding on roads.

Some interruption to power services is also likely.

Tributes have been paid to three men who died when their 4×4 vehicle was “swept away” in the River Esk as they attempted to cross the water.

Scott Thomas Daddy, Leslie Forbes and Kenneth Patrick Hibbins were found dead inside the vehicle after it became submerged in the river near Glaisdale on Thursday.

On Friday, after the car was removed from the water flowers were laid on the bank in memory of the three men.

The Met Office confirmed that a rare supercell thunderstorm – storms defined by the deep and persistently rotating current of rising air at their centre – hit the borough of Tameside on Wednesday night, causing chaos as it pulled roofs and chimneys from houses and broke windows.

A second supercell thunderstorm also struck Lancashire’s Morecambe Bay on Thursday morning, with the Met Office warning of hail, frequent lightning and strong and gusty winds as it moved inland.

Steven Ramsdale, Met Office Chief Forecaster, said: “This system is likely to bring a range of weather including hill snow. Heavy rain will spread across all but the far north on Saturday affecting similar areas previously affected by Storm Gerrit. However, this rainfall will be a step down from that seen during Storm Gerrit.”

Looking further ahead into 2024, there is low forecast confidence. Nick Silkstone is a Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster. He said: “Through to mid-January, there is a signal for a shift in the pattern compared to the winter so far, with more settled and colder-than-average conditions becoming increasingly likely.”