Image source, Getty Images

We're wrapping up our live coverage for the evening, thank you for joining us. Here's a round-up of what's been happening today:

• There has been widespread travel disruption across the country due to storms, strikes and power problems
• Eurostar and LeShuttle services have been suspended due to what the former company called a "last-minute" strike by Eurotunnel workers
• Eurostar said it will not run any European rail services to or from London St Pancras for the rest of the day - cancelling 30 trains.
• The outlook for tomorrow is looking uncertain and a Eurostar update is expected later tonight
• Rail services at London Euston have been severely disrupted after earlier power problems meant all lines to and from the station were blocked
• Trains to and from Scotland, north-west England and the West Midlands have been delayed or cancelled
• Christmas travel plans have taken a hit due to Storm Pia
• British Airways said it had to adjust today's flight schedule as a result of air traffic control restrictions put in place in response to the storm

Read our story on Storm Pia here

Simon Jones
Reporting from St Pancras International

The strike may be over, but passengers are still desperate for information.

Many are still queuing up to speak to Eurostar staff - asking whether they can get on trains tomorrow.

That may not be easy - as services were already due to be extremely busy as people get away for the Christmas break.

Eurotunnel trains are now running again, but the company won’t be selling any new tickets for travel for the rest of today or tomorrow.

It wants to concentrate on getting on their way those who’ve already been disrupted.

Image source, Chris McCabe

Earlier this afternoon we spoke to Chris McCabe and his wife Géraldine Tirifahy-McCabe - two people out of the many affected by the last-minute strike by Eurotunnel workers.

They were hoping to travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels to visit family but trains were cancelled. In the last hour it's been confirmed that the strike has been called off.

Speaking before the strike was called off, Chris said: "There are about 500 people stuck past security waiting. That is all they are saying and no-one knows whether to leave or stay," he said, adding there are "no real communications".

It's not just the roads and rails that have been disrupted today - there has also been misery in store for some of those hoping to take to the skies.

• Heathrow Airport's departures board is showing a long list of delays to dozens of flights. British Airways grounded several domestic and European flights, saying air traffic control restrictions had forced "adjustments" to its schedule. Its website shows a list of delayed departures and cancellations of flights from Heathrow to Amman, Berlin, Amsterdam, Glasgow and Mumbai
• Gatwick Airport appears to be operating closer to normal, with a few flights delayed by around an hour
• There are several cancelled or delayed departures and arrivals at Leeds Bradford Airport and Glasgow Airport
• Many flights in and out of Manchester Airport are experiencing delays

We'll try and keep you updated on the continuing impact of Storm Pia on air travel as we get it.

Eurotunnel has confirmed the strike is over and there will be a progressive return to services.

Eurostar and LeShuttle services had been suspended due to what the former company calls a "last-minute" strike by Eurotunnel workers.

Eurostar earlier said it will not run any European rail services to or from London St Pancras for the rest of the day - cancelling 30 trains.

It is unclear when traffic will resume.

The French transport minister has announced the lifting of the blockade of the Channel Tunnel.

"Traffic can resume," Clément Beaune posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Tom Grundy
Reporting from London Euston station

There’s a big Christmas tree in the middle of Euston station, but not a whole lot of festive cheer from those stranded here.

After temporarily closing the doors to the station earlier, passengers have now been allowed back inside but the vast majority of services remain either delayed or cancelled.

On the very odd occasion that a train has departed, there’s been a frantic rush to the platform.

Passengers I’ve spoken to have been exploring alternatives ways to get home.

But with other services proving expensive or impractical, most are desperately hoping the issues here can be sorted as quickly possible.

Image source, Getty Images

Eurostar says that no more trains will run today.

Trains have been suspended due to what the company called a "last-minute" strike by Eurotunnel workers.

Thirty of its trains have been cancelled out of London, Paris or Brussels, Eurostar says in a statement.

The company says that passengers due to travel tomorrow will be updated with any changes to services from around 19:00 GMT tonight.

Customers who have been affected today "have the option to exchange their tickets free of charge or claim a refund", Eurostar says.

"Although the situation is out of Eurostar’s control, all our teams are working to minimise the impact on our customers and provide as much support as possible. Extra staff are also in the stations to assist travellers," it adds.

The Port of Dover, which was already going to be busy with Christmas travel, is now warning of 90-minute delays for passengers clearing French border control.

Anyone heading to the Kent port to catch a cross-Channel ferry to France is being urged not to turn up without a valid ticket or a transfer voucher issued by Eurotunnel.

As we've been reporting, a wildcat strike by French workers on the Channel Tunnel means Le Shuttle services across to France are currently suspended.

Simon Jones
Reporting from St Pancras International

Image source, Reuters

Here at St Pancras station in central London there are big crowds - and lots of glum faces.

People have no idea how they are going to get home across the Channel for Christmas.

A public address announcement has informed passengers that even if Eurostar services do resume later today, they are fully booked.

Some people have been scrabbling around to book hotels while others have been trying to find flights or even contemplating getting on ferries from Dover.

The advice for passengers as ever is to check before they travel - but the problem is that Eurostar and Eurotunnel have very little information to pass on.

So for many, it’s a waiting game.

Rob Corp
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

A quick look at the National Rail website shows services are now leaving from London Euston for points north and west of the capital.

However, many services - especially those on long-distance routes - are showing as delayed, which chimes with the rail industry's warning that it will take a while to get things back up and running.

Trains heading to London from stations along the West Coast main line appear to be severely delayed, but are at least making their way down the tracks now.

The situation at nearby St Pancras is, however, a very different story.

A train fault is believed to be the reason why thousands of rail passengers travelling to and from London Euston station have had their journeys disrupted.

Network Rail says the trains are running again at the central London terminus but there are "residual delays" following problems north of Watford.

A spokesperson says: "The incident took place in the Bourne End area at around 12:15 and is believed to have been caused by a fault on a train.

"All lines were closed while investigations took place into the incident, including drone surveys of the lines, but trains were on the move soon after 15:00.”

Recovering from the disruption will take some time, our transport correspondent says.

• Christmas travel plans have taken a hit today thanks to a combination of Storm Pia and strike action
• Currently no trains are leaving London's Euston railway station - one of the UK's busiest after damage to overhead wires between Milton Keynes and Watford
• Eurostar has cancelled all services to and from London until further notice after strike action by Channel Tunnel

• Air traffic control restrictions put in place in response to the storm has led to British Airways adjusting its flight schedule
• All schools in Shetland have been closed today and a separate yellow warning of snow and ice becomes effective this afternoon
• Gusts of up to 80 mph (130km/h) were reported in northern parts of the UK this morning
• Drivers have been told the weekend will be the busiest time of the festive period - with 21 million trips expected before Christmas

Image source, Getty Images

There has been one positive to the strong winds across the UK today – the country’s wind turbines generated a record amount of electricity this morning.

Between 08:00 and 08:30GMT, wind farms across Great Britain generated 21.8 gigawatts (GW) of electricity and supplied 56% of all the power that was being used from the National Grid.

This beats the previous 21.6 GW record which was set in January.

"Setting a new wind energy record is a great achievement to celebrate during this festive period," Dan McGrail, chief executive of trade body RenewableUK, told the PA news agency.

Image source, .

The UK Met Office and Irish service Met Éireann launched their first "Name our Storms" campaign in 2015.

Most years, they draw the names from a shortlist of favourites submitted by the public. And since 2019, they have been joined by the national weather service of the Netherlands which also chips in a few suggested names each year.

Some names storm names are not on the British/Irish/Dutch list. That is because storms are named where they originate, so ones that reach the UK are occasionally the tail end of one that started in the US several days earlier - and may have been downgraded from hurricane or cyclone status.

Storm Pia was named by the Danish Met Office.

The M20 coastbound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 is being temporarily closed due to the suspension of Eurotunnel services at the Channel Tunnel.

The closure will allow freight bound for the continent to queue on the empty section of motorway in order to keep any disruption to Kent’s wider road network to a minimum.

Eurostar and LeShuttle services have been suspended due to what the former company calls a "last-minute" strike by Eurotunnel workers.

A little earlier we told you there are no trains from London's Euston railway station due to a problem with overhead wires.

Network Rail has now said engineers are working on fixing the issue with one of the wires that supplies power to trains on the West Coast Main line.

It hopes it will get at least two of the four tracks through the area open shortly, allowing it to run an emergency timetable.

“I’m sorry to passengers impacted by the overhead lines coming down near Euston station and the major disruption to journeys this is causing," said James Dean from Network Rail.

"Our team of engineers are onsite and assessing the damage, but it is too early to know what has caused it. Our focus is on fixing the issue as soon as possible."

Network Rail is urging all customers to check the National Rail website, external before they set off on their journey.

Elsewhere, it says the majority of the network is running, as well as trains from King's Cross railway station after a fallen tree caused an issue on the East Coast Main Line.

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

As Storm Pia moves closer to Denmark, we’ve now had the peak of the strong winds in the UK. The highest wind was 81mph (130km/h) in Shetland earlier in the day.

However, it’ll remain pretty windy into Thursday evening, especially across the northern half of the UK with gusts of 45-60 mph.

There may still therefore be some travel disruption.

Also be aware of high waves along the North Sea coasts as strong winds combine with a minor storm surge into the evening.

Eurostar says it's now cancelled all trains to and from London until further notice.

Its statement says: “Due to a last-minute strike by Eurotunnel staff, no Channel Tunnel crossings have taken place since 12:00.

Unfortunately, Eurostar has had to cancel all trains to and from London until further notice.

Customers affected will receive direct communication about their journey and can exchange their tickets free of charge or claim a refund.

We are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves and, our teams are currently working to minimise the impact on our customers."