More flood warnings as Storm Katie brings Easter Monday washout

South Yorkshire and the Derbyshire Peak District woke to a blanket of snow on higher ground, while a flood warning was in place for Pocklington Beck in the East Riding, with properties around Main Street and Canal Head most at risk.

Less severe “flood alerts” were in place on the River Rother from Chesterfield to Staveley; Blackburn Brook in Sheffield;

Whiston Brook near Rotherham, and the North Sea coast at Bridlington.

Trains were being delayed by flooding in the Chesterfield area, and problems were also reported on some services between Yorkshire and London.

Gusty showers swept parts of Yorkshire during the morning - but drier, more settled conditions were forecast to follow.

A theme park in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, was forced to close after “heavy rainfall and extensive flooding” left some areas of the park inaccessible.

Pleasure Island theme park reopened for Easter on Thursday but made the descision to close on Monday due to the effects of Storm Katie.

A message on the park’s Facebook page said: “Pleasure Island will be closed today due to heavy rainfall and extensive flooding. We are very sorry for any disappointment caused.”

A spokesman told customers: “It’s been raining heavily throughout the night, with rain forecast to continue until this afternoon. There are also areas of extensive flooding around the park making some areas inaccessible.”

Further south, flights have been diverted, thousands of homes left without power and trains were delayed after heavy rain and winds of up to 106mph hit the central and southern belts.

The Met Office warned that flooding is expected across the South West and issued 136 flood alerts across the country.

The Dartford River Crossing and M48 Severn Bridge were closed overnight on Sunday because of strong winds, while gusts were so strong a crane in Greenwich, London collapsed.

Several train routes were hit by long delays as the powerful storm blew trees onto the tracks and plane passengers told of “scary” aborted attempts to land at Gatwick Airport before being diverted elsewhere in the country.

Georgia Humphreys wrote on Twitter: “Craziest flight. Diverted to Stansted because weather too bad to land at Gatwick - bloody scary, very relieved to be on land tbh (to be honest).”

Arnon Woolfson wrote: “Grateful to be on the ground now in #EastMidlands after scary failed attempts to land @Gatwick_Airport in #StormKatie.

Mr Woolfson said passengers were left “dumbfounded” as, battered by strong crosswinds, their flight pulled out of a landing at the last minute.

He said: “The plane was descending and at the very last minute as we came down it pulled up. It was clearly not going to plan.

“The plane was not just going up and down, it was going sideways. There were a lot of crosswinds - it was a mess.

“There was zero visibility and really, really heavy wind and rain.”

He said his fellow passengers sank into silence as they waited to see if they would land safely.

He said: “There was a lot of silence - there was no screaming but a lot of uncertainty. Everyone was dumbfounded and didn’t know how to react.

“It was dealt with pretty impressively until we got to Birmingham which was a mess - there were no buses, no people, no anything. We were waiting around until nearly 4am trying to sort out a hotel. I have no idea how we are going to get down to London.”

A Gatwick Airport spokeswoman said 26 flights had been cancelled and 23 diverted because of the bad weather, while Heathrow cancelled 61 flights and another 20 were diverted.

A Heathrow spokesman said: “Due to strong winds and heavy rainfall from Storm Katie, there are delays to some flights and a small number of cancellations at Heathrow today. Passengers are advised to check with their airline before travelling to the airport.

“We are sorry for any disruption caused.”

A Gatwick spokeswoman said: “Due to adverse weather, a small number of flights at Gatwick have been cancelled and there is some disruption to roads around North Terminal.

“We advise passengers to check directly with their airline for the latest information and to leave extra time to travel to the airport.”

Trains on the Southeastern railway line were delayed after trees were blown onto the track.

In the north Midlands, heavy rain and run-off from sodden fields closed the M6 northbound between junction 13 and 14 near Stafford early on Monday morning, with the southbound drivers urged to use caution navigating standing water.

Some 19,000 homes across the South and South East of England have been left without power, according to distributors UK Power Network.

A car overturned in the treacherous conditions on the M42 near junctions 1 and 2 in Worcestershire in the early hours of Monday, while in Surrey a 12ft trampoline was hurled across a garden landing on a shed.

The Central Motorway Police Group, which patrols the region’s roads, said: “The weather is horrendous outside, heavy rain, snow and lots of standing water. Drive to the conditions or if you can stay in and eat chocy.”

Earlier, officers had advised: “Typical Bank Holiday weather - snow, high winds, sleet, driving rain. Several bumps already reported - lots of standing water! #slowdown.”

On the railways, East Midlands Trains also reported disruption on its London St Pancras to Sheffield route, with tunnel flooding closing a section of the northbound line between Derby and Chesterfield in Derbyshire.

There was also heavy flooding on the line between Derby and Stoke-on-Trent, delaying services in both directions between Derby to Crewe

Meanwhile, more than 80,000 homes across the south of England had power cuts, according to Southern Electric Power Distribution.

The firm said it had restored power to 40,300 homes since Sunday night, while a further 41,889 homes across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire , Dorset, Surrey, West Sussex, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight are without electricity.

More than 900 engineers and technical staff are out battling to reconnect homes, the firm added.

The Isle of Wight saw the strongest winds, recording a gust of 106mph, while snow hit the West Midlands last night.

Storm Katie is expected to move north east over the course of Monday, but the heavy wind and rain is expected to ease.

A Sussex Police spokesman said the force had received 600 weather-related calls, mostly concerning fallen trees, between midnight and 9.30am on Monday.

He said: “The reports are being responded to wherever needed by emergency services including highways authorities and fire and rescue services.

“There have been no reports of injuries or major incidents.

“We understand there are some localised power outages which are being responded to by UK Power Networks (UKPN) and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE).”