Wind closes QEII bridge and causes train delays

The bridge has been closed due to strong winds

Flooding and strong winds are causing disruption to Essex road and rail users.

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which crosses the Thames between Essex and Kent, has been closed due to the conditions caused by Storm Henk.

National Highways said there were two hours of delays and it was monitoring the situation.

Some Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport have been cancelled due to overhead wire problems.

Overhead wires problems are causing delays to Greater Anglia services

Other Greater Anglia services includig Southend Victoria and Rayleigh, and Elsenham and Cambridge, had been disrupted because of overhead wire problems.

C2C Rail said damage to overhead wires between Dagenham Dock and Purfleet meant the line was blocked.

C2c said train services running across the whole of its network could be cancelled or delayed.

Greater Anglia said: "We are experiencing high volumes of messages at the moment due to major disruptions taking place on our lines.

"As a result replies may be slower than usual."

Essex Police have asked people to avoid the Lakeside shopping centre as the A126 was closed due to a fallen tree.

The county's fire service said it was taking many emergency calls about trees and debris blocking roads and asked people to only call 999 if there was a threat to life.

Earlier, Greater Anglia rail services were disrupted because of the loss of signalling between Chelmsford and Margaretting, which has since been resolved.

The train operator said delays between Liverpool Street and Cambridge had ended after heavy rain flooded lines at Audley End.