British Isles lashed by winter storms

This week is probably not the best time to be visiting the UK.

Parts of the British isles have been brought to a standstill by Storm Isha with flights, trains and other transport in disarray, Travel Mole reports.

The storm has battered regions across parts of Northern Ireland, England and Scotland, grounding many flights.

One flight bound for Ireland had to divert hundreds of kilometres to Paris and a flight from Tenerife in Spain to Edinburgh, Scotland, was diverted to Cologne in Germany.

ITV reported that five people and thousands were left without power - and all rail services in Scotland were halted.

Gales reached over 160kph in places after wind warnings were issued by the Met Office.

"Danger to life" amber warnings were posted around the country on a ‘wild night’ on Sunday while parts of north Scotland had more severe red warnings.

Most offshore ferry services in Scotland were cancelled on Monday while huge waves battered coastal towns almost the entire length of the country.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro) warned of possible tornados in England and Wales on Sunday night but the risk later abated.

“Due to adverse weather conditions across the UK, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place," National Air Transport Safety officials said. "Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.

“Our teams are working closely with airports and airlines to minimise disruption. Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.”

Several flights were cancelled at London Heathrow and residents were warned that Storm Isha was set to be followed by another winter storm: Storm Jocelyn. 

Image: ITV