Trains stranded and events cancelled due to weather

Yellow wind and rain warnings are in place across Devon and Cornwall as severe weather led to stormy seas, cancelled trains and event disruption.

The Torbay half marathon and 10km (6.2 miles) races were cancelled amid safety concerns, and some attractions closed for the day.

Wind gusts were predicted to reach 60mph in some areas.

Meanwhile, rail services were suspended as operator Great Western Railway (GWR) confirmed two trains carrying passengers were "stranded" between Exeter and Plymouth - one at Dawlish and another at Teignmouth, with the cause unknown.

A GWR spokesman said lines between Exeter St David's and Penzance was closed.

He added: “It’s not yet known why and Hitachi will need to investigate the cause of any issues to those trains.

“Our priority is getting passengers moved to the nearest station and onwards to complete their journey.”

At 20.30 the company said the 12.36 Paddington to Paignton service had been moved back to Newton Abbot, and customers were also being taken off the other stranded service.

The spokesman said the advice to passengers was not to travel, and today's tickets would be valid tomorrow.

All lines were also blocked between Par and Newquay and between Truro and Falmouth Docks, GWR said.

Elsewhere, sites that closed due to the weather included Wildwood animal park in Ottery St Mary, and the Minack Theatre in Penzance.

Photographer Greg Martin captured waves battering South Pier and lashing the lighthouse at Newlyn harbour in Cornwall.

The Met Office said the rain was expected to ease during the second half of Sunday night.

The wind warning is place until 23.59 BST on Sunday, while the rain warning is due to end on Monday morning at 09:00.

There were flood alerts on Sunday in the River Axe, Rivers Otter and Sid areas and between Dawlish Warren and Seaton, and Start Point and Dawlish Warren.

A red board at Exeter St David's reads: Severe weather in Devon & Cornwall. As a result, train services between these locations are currently suspended and we have not been able to secure any replacement road transport. Based on the forecast, we anticipate significant disruption will continue for the remainder of the day. A limited service is running between Newton Abbot and Paignton, and on Cornish branchlines.
The weather caused major disruption to rail services [BBC]
A map published by the Met Office shows the south of the country from Plymouth up to Oxford, wrapped in an area of yellow, indicating weather warnings for both wind and rain.
The rain warning is due to last until 09:00 on Monday, the Met Office says [Met Office]

Numerous cancelled events included ParkLive in Falmouth, Woolacombe beach clean, Torpoint Street Market and the Minack Theatre, perched on the Cornish cliffs of Porthcurno said on social media it had closed due to high winds with ticket holders to contact them directly.

North Devon Yacht Club said: "Sunday's race is cancelled as there is a severe weather warning of gusts to 50mph. Tie your boats down and hold onto your hats!"

The rail line between Crediton and Okehampton was closed on Sunday morning for more than an hour after a train hit a tree, which was felled by strong winds.

Greg Martin, a photographer from Penzance who captured dramatic coastal scenes of foamy waves crashing into a pier in Cornwall, said: "It’s been a grotty day of weather here in Penzance and Newlyn today.

"Often, these unnamed storms that blow in from the south hit us the hardest and although this wasn’t a big storm, the strong winds and rough seas will mean people living along the prom will probably be picking seaweed out of their gardens for days.

"It’s a reminder for us all that winter is just around the corner."

A yellow weather warning is also currently in place for South Wales, while further yellow rain warnings have been issued for Monday.

One covers eastern England between 08:00 BST on Monday and 03:00 on Tuesday, and the other is for North Wales and north-west England between 00.30 and 20:00 on Monday.

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