Storm Pia brings disruption to Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Tens of thousands of homes were left without power as strong winds swept across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

More than 40,000 customers had been affected by Storm Pia on Thursday, according to Northern Powergrid, with residents in West Yorkshire worst hit.

Almost 8,000 households were still without power as of 15:00 GMT, the company said.

As well as bringing down cables, the storm blew off the roof of a block of flats in Sheffield and delayed flights.

The Humber Bridge remained closed to high-sided and "wind-vulnerable" vehicles late on Thursday afternoon.

At the height of the storm, the average wind speed on the landmark structure had been about 65mph (105 km/h), operators of the bridge said.

Meanwhile, the Tinsley Viaduct at Junction 34 of the M1 was also closed to high-sided and vulnerable vehicles.

Numerous flights from Leeds Bradford Airport were delayed or cancelled because of the weather and several train services were also affected, according to operators.

Speed restrictions were put in place on services from York and Leeds to Doncaster, causing delays of up to 20 minutes.

Trains between Doncaster and Retford were also affected by an object being caught in the overhead electric wires, LNER said.

Some services to and from Bradford Forster Square could be cancelled or delayed due to a fallen tree being caught in the overhead wires in the Shipley area, train operators said.

A tree blocking the railway between Brighouse and Sowerby Bridge was removed, but services could still be cancelled or delayed, Northern said.

In Lincolnshire, Lincoln Road in Wragby was closed after a tree fell on a car.

Nobody was injured, but the tree had blocked the road, police said.

Sheffield city centre's Christmas market was closed on Thursday morning, while the Frost Festival Finale in Doncaster was cancelled.

Organisers said they were unable to safely prepare and deliver the event due to high winds.

Bradford City Council said the Sugden End Household Waste Recycling Centre in Keighley would close earlier than usual, at 15:30 GMT, due to the "extreme weather".

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