East Coast commuters warned not to travel due to Storm Doris

Commuters using Virgin East Coast Trains are being warned not to travel today as Storm Doris is set to batter the country with high winds and rain.

Virgin East Coast have warned commuters about travelling due to the storm.

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The train operator tweeted yesterday evening to advise customers not to travel and that all tickets for tomorrow will be valid until 12noon on Friday.

However, as there are no planned cancellations customers are not entitled to a refund if they choose not to travel due to the adverse weather.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for much of the countryand are warning winds of up to 80mph.

Some very strong winds are expected throughout today (February 23), in association with storm ‘Doris’, with a short period where gusts of 70 to 80mph are possible.

Whilst the strongest winds look to be only short-lived, damage to structures, interruptions to power supplies and widespread disruption to travel networks are likely, with a danger of injury from flying debris.

Heavy rain is also likely through the day as well as some snow over high ground as the system clears eastwards. These may prove additional hazards.

The exact timing and track of this system remain uncertain but there is potential for a short-lived core of very strong winds to develop. Whilst some disruption is expected outside of this stronger swathe of winds, the amber area looks most likely to see more significant disruption.