Storm Doris blows into Chester and Ellesmere Port - recap

Signing off

As the weather dies down, it is time to close our live blog for today.

Thank you for following the Chronicle’s updates throughout the day, hopefully it was helpful to you.

Stay safe on the roads, especially with an weather warning for ice coming in for parts of Cheshire West and Chester overnight.

Click on the links below for our other stories on Storm Doris.

Amazing landing

Another showcase of pilot skill from today, this time at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Trains back to normal

Important one for rail commuters.

If you still have not left work the Wirral line is back on its usual schedule. Trains have been affected for most of the day.

A replacement bus service had been ferrying passengers from both Chester and Ellesmere Port stations to Hooton.

Merseyrail confirmed trains were back running as normal just after 5.30pm.

Chester city centre closures

Be aware, Delamere Street/Upper Northgate Street closed for safety reasons due to storm damage to the Uni accommodation #AvoidTheArea

— Chester Police (@PoliceChester) February 23, 2017

Princess St in Chester is closed due to an unsafe building. #StormDoris

— Cheshire West (@Go_CheshireWest) February 23, 2017

Wind speed check

The Met Office’s nearest weather station to Chester is at Hawarden just across the border.

The fastest gust of wind picked up there today measured in at 61mph at about 10am.

There were winds of 59mph at Tatton Park while the highest in the country was the 94mph were clocked in North Wales.

Ice warning reminder

A Met Office amber wind warning is due to expire in just over two and a half hour’s time at 8pm.

But for parts of Cheshire West it will be replaced by a yellow, less serious, warning for ice.

Ellesmere Port and Frodsham fall under this this. Chester does not.

It is due to last until 9am on Friday morning.

The chief forecaster said: “As the more persistent rain, sleet and snow clears on Thursday afternoon and evening, temperatures will fall quickly and untreated surfaces will freeze, with ice forming, especially in areas with snow cover.”

Update from Manchester Airport

Issues continue at Manchester Airport - here’s the latest statement from them:

“Due to the storm today a lot of aircraft have diverted and subsequently are in the wrong place. This could lead to delays and cancellations.

“Passengers are advised to check directly with their airline for the most up to date information and status of their flight.

“Due to the storm there are still delays/cancellations. We advise checking with your airline for the most up to date status of your flight.”

Public help

A salute to those who helped out today.

Thanks to the members of the public who helped Police to clear roads and keep everyone safe during #stormdoris pic.twitter.com/jJfu0TNEy3

— EllesmerePort Police (@PoliceEport) February 23, 2017

Advice for commuters

So what now if you are about to head home from work?

While there will be the usual rush-hour traffic, all the major routes around Chester and Ellesmere Port are open.

This includes the A56 in Mickle Trafford and the A54 at Delamere which had previously been shut.

If you are commuting further afield towards Manchester it becomes a bit more tricky.

There are still long delays for those heading north on the M6 after joining from the M56.

Congestion is also building heading west towards Chester on the M56 at J12 for Frodsham.

Monkey business

Some good news.

Chester Zoo will be back open as usual again tomorrow.

The Upton attraction and the Crocky Trail in Waverton both had to shut today.

Great tweet this.

Is that all you've got Storm Doris?
(We're open as normal tomorrow) pic.twitter.com/aae3wBfC4v

— Chester Zoo (@chesterzoo) February 23, 2017

If you had a ticket for today you are entitled to a full refund, which should have happened automatically if you were pre-booked. They will also be valid to get in any other day this year.

A49 closed

A49 in Norcott Brook area is still closed due to further trees down and electricity cables, Scottish Power are on scene now #StormDoris

— Cheshire Police (@cheshirepolice) February 23, 2017

Bin collections

Cheshire West and Chester Council have released more information on what is happening with bin collections.

Their full statement here:

The council’s waste and recycling collection service is being affected by the current adverse weather conditions.

Whilst scheduled collections will continue to be made, the high level of winds will cause spillages and cause containers to be blown.

Whilst every effort is being made to collect spilt waste during collections and return containers once emptied, residents are advised to place out containers securely.

Boxes need to be presented with lids on to contain the materials.

If you don’t have a lid, please attempt to secure the items inside. Please close the lid on your wheeled bin and secure any bags that are due for collection.

Trampoline scare

Among the garden furniture at risk in the gusts we have seen quite a few trampolines.

Tine Povey sent us this picture from Regent Street in Ellesmere Port.

M6 reopened

Conditions seem to be calming down finally.

Highways England have said the M6 Thelwall Viaduct is safe enough to reopen.

There are huge queues in both directions however which will take a long time to clear.

All closures removed #M6 #ThelwallViaduct both ways btwn J20 and J21 due to strong winds subsiding to a safe level. Have a safe journey.

— Highways England (@HighwaysNWEST) February 23, 2017

Frodsham Street sign down

It is not just the trees which have been falling today...

500 Cheshire Police incidents

Cheshire Police have provided an update on their operation today.

The force said it has dealt with more than 500 incidents after an ‘unprecedented’ number of calls.

Chief Inspector Sarah Edgar said:

Although the worst of the weather has now passed, Storm Doris is continuing to cause disruption across the county.

We continue to monitor the situation closely and we are working with partner agencies to respond to incidents as they occur.

As darkness begins to fall I would like to advise motorists travelling on the county’s roads to take extra care.

While all efforts are being made to clear the roads as soon as possible, a large number of trees have come down as a result of the storm and there is still a significant amount debris on the roads.

It is anticipated that further trees will fall due to being weakened during the storm.

Council meeting cancelled

Cheshire West and Chester Council have announced tonight’s full council meeting has been cancelled because of the ‘extreme’ weather.

CWaC’s budget for 2017-18 was due up for approval at the meeting at Wyvern House in Winsford.

A CWaC statement said: “Leader of the council, councillor Samantha Dixon and leader of the opposition councillor Lynn Riley have agreed that the council meeting scheduled to take place today at 5pm in Winsford will not take place due to concerns about public safety across the borough.

“This follows extreme weather conditions with an amber weather warning in place and advice not to travel.”

The meeting has been rearragned for Wyvern House at 5pm on March 2.

Damage to university building

High winds damaged the roof of the University of Chester’s Sumner House halls this morning.

Firefighters were called to Delamere Street in the city and had to set up a safety cordon because of falling debris.

Our reporter David Holmes has been down to the scene.

Delamere Street, Chester, blocked off for safety reasons due to debris falling from University of Chester Sumner House halls pic.twitter.com/jPGyA5qvcs

— David Holmes (@sherlock1968) February 23, 2017

A similar cordon was set up on nearby George Street due to glass falling from a balcony on a flat block.

Power update

Some homes and businesses in the CH2 postcode area of Chester have been without power since this morning.

SP Energy Networks initially said they would be up and running by 2pm, but those affected have now been told it will be closer to 9pm.

Full story here.

Road closures still in place

A reminder of the roads still closed because of the weather:

• The M6 in both directions at the Thelwall Viaduct between junctions 20 and 21
• The A56 in both directions between Mickle Trafford and the M53 junction 12
• The A54 in both directions at Delamere
• The A548 Flintshire Bridge in Connah’s Quay in both directions
• The A533 Runcorn Bridge to high-sided vehicles only

Bus replacement service

Trains are not running from both Chester and Ellesmere Port to Hooton.

Merseyrail have announced a replacement bus service to run instead on the Wirral line because of the high winds.

Services are still going between Hooton and Liverpool, but on a reduced timetable.

To make things worse the Merseyrail website is also offline.

Priorities

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s highways team have been hard at work clearing debris from the roads.

If your bins have not been collected so far today, this is why. Make sure they are secure and are not getting blown about.

Streetscene and Highways teams are working to clear debris and keep roads safe. Normal litter collections may be delayed.

— Cheshire West (@Go_CheshireWest) February 23, 2017

Gallery updated

Pictures from the day Storm Doris whipped across Cheshire West and Chester here:

Satellite view

View #StormDoris from space with this satellite image showing her moving eastwards across the UK pic.twitter.com/Oa3ELPaMBj

— Met Office (@metoffice) February 23, 2017

Latest forecast

The most recent forecast prediction from the Met Office says it will get brighter over the next few hours.

We can see the sun poking out on occasions.

Showers are still possible through the rest of the day, with an 80% chance of rain when the heavy clouds return between 8pm to 10pm.

The Met Office amber warning for Storm Doris is still in place until 8pm.

Tree down in Grosvenor Park

Tree casualty in Chester's Grosvenor Park pic.twitter.com/Z0fpTD8nuk

— David Holmes (@sherlock1968) February 23, 2017

Sick to Death

The Sick to Death attraction on Chester city walls has also been forced to shut today.

Chester Zoo and the Crocky Trail have also not opened today.

Conifer down

Viv Savage sent us this photo of a huge conifer which had been blown down in their garden in Upton.

Industrial site power cut

A gas detection team has been deployed after Storm Doris caused a power cut at a major industrial site in Runcorn .

An Inovyn spokesman said no gas has been detected off-site.

He said the firm, which is a subsidiary of chemical giants Ineos, was awaiting on-site data.

The spokesman quashed rumours that residents have been asked to stay indoors because of a ‘chlorine leak’.

He said the company has not issued shelter advice nor sounded the Operation Cloudburst alarms.

The neighbouring Vynova site said it was similarly affected and issued an identical statement.

Units have been shut down and the site has switched to safe operating mode.

Read more on this from our sister paper the Liverpool Echo here.

Travel advice

We have rounded up the advice from emergency services on travelling this afternoon.

Cheshire Police said they had received an ‘unprecedented’ number of calls.

The full story is here.