PIA PRESSURE

Thousands in train hightmares  | Power cuts & planes grounded

- JEREMY ARMSTRONG

STORM Pia, with vicious winds topping 100mph, got the holiday exodus off to a terrible start.

Fallen trees, high seas and downed power lines, coupled with a French rail strike, caused massive travel chaos.

Pia, the seventh named storm in the last three months, blasted in overnight from the Atlantic.

Gusts hit 115mph on top of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands.

Offshore wind speed was estimated at 136mph.

Brizlee Wood, Northumberland recorded 81mph, the highest speed south of the border.

Last night thousands of rail passengers were stuck on the line between London King's Cross and Leeds after a tree fell on to an overhead power cable near Doncaster, starting a fire. A dozen trains were backed up.

Andrew Whitaker, stuck at Peterborough on his way to Leeds, said: "We've no idea how long we'll be here. We've been told we are about to depart but it could be a long journey.

LNER said: "The fire had been dealt with and the tree cleared but there is huge congestion."

Earlier the company had told passengers to avoid travel from Scotland and the North East and huge crowds waited at King's Cross for news of delayed departures.