Fallen trees cause rail disruption and power cuts

Fallen trees have caused power cuts and severe disruption to rail lines, with people advised to avoid travelling by train in parts of the East of England until Sunday.

Greater Anglia said services had been cancelled between Manningtree and Harwich Town, Manningtree and Ipswich, and Bishop's Stortford and Stansted Airport.

It added the strong winds on Friday night also meant only diesel trains would be able to run between Ipswich and Colchester, severely limiting services.

About 2,500 properties around Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk were left without electricity after a fault on a high-voltage line, but UK Power Networks said most had been reconnected overnight.

Network Rail response teams were on site after a tree fell on to the line near Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex on Friday afternoon.

Greater Anglia said it was impacting Stansted Express services between London Liverpool Street and the airport, London Liverpool Street and Cambridge North and Broxbourne and Bishop's Stortford, in Hertfordshire.

It said an "extremely limited" service would run from Ipswich and Colchester and advised passengers not to travel between both places on Saturday, with services only running between Norwich and Ipswich.

An "extremely limited shuttle service" would operate from Ipswich and Colchester, the company added. It and Network Rail apologised for the inconvenience.

Elsewhere in Essex a man had to be freed from his car after a large tree fell on it in Burnt Mills Road, Pitsea, near Basildon, Essex.

Firefighters were called at about 16:47 BST on Friday and he was left in the care of the ambulance service.

It was not the only car struck by a tree. Pictures shared on Facebook showed another vehicle beneath a large fallen tree in Hobleythick Lane in Westcliff-on-Sea.

In Covington, Cambridgeshire, villagers helped move a fallen tree off Keyston Road.

Essex crews also spent about 90 minutes in The Causeway between Writtle and Edney Common, near Chelmsford, to clear a tree after being called at 16:49 BST, on Friday.

A large branch across Panfield Lane in Braintree was removed by 18:05 and another tree came down on power lines in Pound Lane in Ugley, near Stansted Airport, shortly after 17:30 and left at 18:19.

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