Services resume on damaged line

The container went onto the line during high winds

Services are resuming on the West Coast Main Line after the removal of containers which fell onto tracks in strong winds.

Five containers, weighing up to four tonnes each, were blown onto tracks at Shap in Cumbria on Saturday.

Network Rail said the affected stretch was cleared and reopened on Monday morning, signalling the resumption of passenger and freight services.

Virgin Trains has promised compensation for those passengers affected.

A Network Rail spokesman said staff had worked "flat out" to clear the line at Shap.

Sea level

A spokesman for Virgin Trains said: "This was an exceptional event, but everyone concerned has worked hard to get services back to normal."

The company said tickets bought for services on Sunday will still be valid.

The accident happened during the early hours of Saturday as a Freightliner train travelled up the Shap incline, one of the longest hills on a main railway line in the country.

The train would have been about 1,000ft (305m) above sea level when caught by the wind.

The damage caused by the containers, which were empty, was significant.

The Met Office recorded gusts of winds of up to 66mph in the area and said a funnelling effect could have meant the gusts were stronger.

Cranes at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk were damaged and several people injured when they were hit by falling trees or parts of buildings during a night of strong winds across the country.