TRAINS to and from Hereford on Friday will be suspended as Storm Eunice is expected to cause widespread disruption.

With a rare red weather warning issued for parts of South Wales on Friday morning, Transport for Wales has said it's suspending all its services.

That means there will be no trains to or from Hereford along the Marches line, which includes services between Manchester and Cardiff.

No replacement buses will be provided, the company said, with the Met Office issuing an amber weather warning for wind for Herefordshire.

RELATED NEWS:

"With very high winds anticipated across the network, all TfW services will be withdrawn on Friday, February 18 with no replacement road transport being supplied," TfW said.

"Services on Saturday (February 19) will be subject to disruption.

"TdW advise that you check before travelling during the days following the storm."

Passengers with tickets for travel on Friday can travel on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday or  Monday instead.

Meanwhile, customers wanting to travel between Hereford, Worcester and Birmingham have been told not to do so on Friday.

Rail operator West Midlands Railway (WMR) is warning passengers not to travel tomorrow due to the impact of Storm Eunice.

The warning follows delays caused to services across the West Midlands last night (Wednesday) as Storm Dudley felled trees and blew debris onto tracks.

WMR is warning of similar disruption tomorrow, when blanket speed restrictions which will be in place across the network.

To help customers make alternative plans, tickets pre-booked for travel tomorrow will be accepted today (Thursday) and on Saturday instead.

OTHER NEWS:

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “Storm Eunice is expected to be one of the biggest storms in recent years and we expect significant disruption to train services.

“The message to our customers is clear – do not use the train on Friday. Customers with tickets for travel on Friday will be able to travel today and Saturday instead.”

Great Western Railway, which runs services from the city to London via Oxford, issued a similar warning, saying disruption would be inevtiable.

The Met Office has issued the highest level of alert for Storm Eunice, warning there could be a “danger to life” as a result of extremely strong winds.

The red weather warning, meaning a high impact is very likely, covers the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as the south coast of Wales and will be in effect from 7am until 12pm on Friday.

It warns of “flying debris resulting in danger to life” and “damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down”.

Other threats include roads, bridges and railway lines being closed with delays and cancellations to public transport, ferry services and flights, and large waves plus “beach material” being thrown on to coastal roads, seafronts and homes, which could result in flooding for some coastal properties.

Uprooted trees are likely, while people could also have power cuts which could affect their mobile phone coverage, the Met Office said.

Several red warnings were issued in late February and early March 2018 during the so-called “Beast from the East”, the storm that brought widespread heavy snow and freezing temperatures to many parts of the UK.

Storm Eunice is predicted to bring in winds around 90mph in coastal areas while inland parts could still see gusts up to 80mph.

Amber warnings, the second-highest alert level, for wind are in place across the whole of England while yellow weather warnings, the next level down, for wind and snow are in force for a large part of Scotland and the whole of Northern Ireland.

The Cobra emergency committee will meet on Thursday “to discuss the response to Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice”, the Government said.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis will lead the meeting.