Dawlish News

Gale-force winds and heavy showers will continue to lash parts of Britain today with rail, air and ferry services all set to be disrupted. The worst of the weather is again set to hit the South West of England which has already suffered widespread flooding. About 200 rail passengers were stranded for three hours aboard two Virgin trains when they failed after being swamped by sea water at Dawlish, Devon. The 10.05am Glasgow to Penzance and 4.25pm Plymouth to York services both cut out on a coastal section of track. The line was blocked in both directions, causing long delays to all trains to and from the West Country. A Virgin Trains spokesman said the drivers had reported experiencing “some of the worst conditions they could remember”. Penzance-bound passengers were eventually transferred to another train, and the York-bound service was pulled into Exeter by another train.