High winds and rain cause havoc across county
Autumn has arrived with a vengeance – with trains delayed, roads made treacherous and part of an iconic Shropshire church falling to the ground.
The Indian summer has been replaced by torrential rain and high winds, creating a headache for commuters and danger for pedestrians.
Hundreds of train passengers faced delays because heavy rain made the track treacherous, with a court judge among those delayd.
And in Shrewsbury a giant piece of masonry came crashing to the floor, forcing a large area of the pavement to be sealed off as a precaution.
Train companies were hoping for better weather today as they attempted to get their services back on track.
A freight train was forced to go slow through Shropshire yesterday, causing knock on delays of up to an hour for rail passengers through the county.
The first train of the morning was forced to travel slowly through Church Stretton after bad weather made the track hazardous.
This caused a domino effect on passenger trains throughout the morning.
Trains between Cardiff Central and Holyhead did not stop at Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Gobowen and Chirk and the 9am Shrewsbury to Cardiff Central due at 2:15pm was delayed for 10 minutes at Craven Arms.
A judge was an hour late to sit at court after her train was delayed.
Recorder Miss Tracey Lloyd-Nesling was due to sit at Shrewsbury Crown Court at 10am but did not arrive until 11am.
She apologised to the court saying that the train she was on was over an hour late. "There was absolutely nothing I could do about it," she said.
Claire Lillie, spokeswoman for Arriva Trains Wales said: "The first freight train early in the morning was advised to go slowly in the Church Stretton area due to the autumnal weather so that had a knock on effect on passenger services throughout the morning. We apologise for the inconvenience caused."
More than £10,000 damage was caused when a three foot Victorian spire fell St Mary's Church in St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury.
Inspectors were called in to inspect the church because of concerns other parts of the building could be unstable.
There fell to the ground during high winds and torrential rain.
