Storm Arwen: Snow and falling trees disrupt West Midlands rail services

Snow and high winds have caused disruption to trains, road closures and power cuts in the West Midlands.

Rail services on the Cross City line from New Street to Lichfield stopped running, as trees fell on overhead power cables and blocked the line.

Between Ledbury and Hereford the line was blocked, but later reopened, London Northwestern Railway said.

Services between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury were also disrupted, after a train hit a tree on the line.

Birmingham New Street station tweeted that it was "sorry to passengers in the Midlands" delayed by the storm, saying gales and snow had "caused widespread problems".

West Midlands Railway tweeted that it expected the Cross City line north between Lichfield Trent Valley, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham New Street to remain closed until start of service on Sunday morning.

Worcester Cathedral's roof has been damaged overnight, the Bishop of Worcester, John Inge, said.

He tweeted that Storm Arwen had "brought a large stone from the tower through the north choir aisle roof" causing "extensive damage".

The cathedral was closed as a result and a concert due to be held there on Saturday evening was cancelled.

Meanwhile, The Black Country Living Museum said it had made "the reluctant decision to close" on Saturday.

The Trentham Estate said the Christmas at Trentham illuminated trail and the gardens and Christmas Makers Market were shut.

The Coventry Glides ice rink at the city's cathedral was also among attractions closed, along with Wonderland at Telford Town Park, whilst Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre and Telford Christmas Market were off on Saturday.

The fayre, which would have taken place on Saturday and Sunday, was also cancelled last year because of coronavirus.

Organisers said there had been "too much damage on site for us to be able to make the event safe for visitors, exhibitors, performers and staff".

Elsewhere, the proposed closure of Brierley Hill High Street on Saturday for the town's Christmas light switch-on was cancelled.

Worcester's market in Angel Place was cancelled, but the switching on of the city's Christmas lights was still going ahead later.

In Herefordshire, the storm took down a 360-year-old oak tree at Belmont Haywood Country Park.

Some roads were closed and Western Power Distribution said Storm Arwen had caused power cuts, as more than 38,000 customers were without supplies in the West Midlands at lunchtime.

It tweeted: "Please be assured that we are working hard to restore supplies and answer your queries quickly. Thank you for your patience."

Russ Hales, from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said it was not just fallen trees and debris on the road that had been cleared up.

He stated: "We dealt with a number of calls related to trampoline garden sort of furniture and debris through the night and into the early hours."

West Midlands Fire Service said fire control was receiving several calls to fallen trees and other weather related incidents and added if nobody was trapped or injured or there was no risk to life, "please contact your local authority/tree surgeon".

Simon Rotheram, from Beechwood Trees & Landscapes in Coventry, said the company had its first call out at about 02:00 GMT and it had been "pretty frantic".

Teams had been out across the city and elsewhere in the West Midlands dealing with fallen trees, he said.

Before 10:00 GMT he thought the service had had about "15 call outs" and "they're still coming in".

Dudley Zoo and Castle was closed, but zookeepers "battled the elements to get to work as normal this morning to care for our animals".

A spokeswoman said the majority of animals "remain snug and warm inside their dens, although for some species, like the reindeer herd, they couldn't wait to explore outside".

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