German ambassador says embassy staff face COP26 delay due to flooding

October 28, 2021

COP26 faces more rain mayhem: German ambassador claims embassy staff were left stranded in London after trains to Scotland were cancelled by downpours – after Glasgow was hit by flooding overnight

Andreas Michaelis, Germany’s ambassador to UK, said embassies hit by delays
Parts of north-west of England and Scotland hit by 13 inches of rain overnight
Avanti West Coast are warning rail passengers not to travel, with delays on LNER
Mr Michaelis said delegates from London were unable to travel to COP26 today
The climate conference is taking place in Glasgow and is due to start on Sunday

Embassy staff heading to Glasgow for the COP26 have been delayed due to the travel chaos sparked by last night’s torrential downpours, a German ambassador today claimed.

Andreas Michaelis, Germany’s ambassador to the UK, says embassies in London have been unable to send staff up to the climate conference due to the flooding in the north west of England.

It comes as parts of Glasgow flooded just three days before the city is due to host world leaders for the climate summit, with motorists stranded by floodwater, roads shut and drivers parking on central reservations to escape.

The Scottish city is also in the midst of a bin strike, with rubbish piling up on the streets due to a strike by refuse workers ahead of the COP26, which begins on Sunday.

Meanwhile, train services between England and Scotland have been hit with hour-long delays and cancellations today after a foot of rain fell across north west England and southern Scotland overnight.

On the west coast line, which runs through flood-hit Cumbria, rail firm Avanti West Coast are warning passengers not to travel. And on the east coast line, run by LNER, there are speed restrictions causing delays to the services.

Mr Michaelis took to Twitter to say delegates were unable to make the journey up to Glasgow this morning.

He said: ‘This morning many Embassies here in London could not send their COP26 staff to Glagow.

‘No trains were running “because of rain”!!! Guess we simply have to accept that nature surrounds us.’

It is not clear which embassies have been impacted by the delays, though the Candian embassy told MailOnline most of its delegates are already in Glasgow ahead of COP26.

Others have also faced delays getting to Glasgow today, with YahooNewsUK’s Nadine Batchelor-Hunt saying: ‘Thoughts and prayers to everyone like me who were due to travel to COP26 today but have seen their trains cancelled by biblical rain in Cumbria.’

Embassy staff heading to Glasgow for the COP26 have been delayed due the travel chaos sparked by last night’s torrential downpours across England and Scotland, a German ambassador today claimed. Pictured: Emergency services arrive to rescue stranded motorists on the A592 near Windermere in Cumbria today

Andreas Michaelis, Germany’s ambassador to the UK, claims embassies in London have been unable to send staff up to the climate conference due to the disruption

It comes as the Lake District was today hit by severe flooding today as the region was lashed by ‘extreme’ downpours with more than a foot of rain falling in just 33 hours – blocking roads, disrupting trains and flooding homes and buildings.

What rail firms are saying about the disruption?

Avanti West Coast

A do not travel warning is in place for services north of Preston for today.

ScotRail

Trains on a number of routes will be running with delays of up to 50 minutes, cancellations and alterations as speed restrictions have been put in place.

TransPennine Express

TransPennine Express strongly advise that you do not travel unless your journey is absolutely essential and you should defer your journey if you can. Those making an essential journey should travel via the East Coast Mainline.

Today, services will be limited between Carlisle and Glasgow Central / Edinburgh. Customers can travel to travel to / from Scotland on the East Coast Main Line travelling via Newcastle and York to / from Manchester.

Northern

Trains are unable to run on parts of the track between Sellafield and Carlisle, this is due to severe weather flooding the track between Carlisle and Maryport and a power failure between Sellafield and Workington.

Customers are advised not to travel between these stations.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day

Honister Pass in Cumbria has seen an extraordinary 335mm (13in) of rain fall in just 33 hours – well over a month’s worth – after the Met Office warned of life-threatening floods in the region popular with holidaymakers.

Cumbria Police urged everyone in the county – including thousands of families on their half-term break – to only travel if necessary, with some roads having been flooded, including the A591 between Rydal and Grasmere.

Flooding also affected the A595 at Duddon Bridge and the A592 Patterdale Road, while Avanti West Coast advised its train passengers not to travel from stations in the North West of England and Scotland before tomorrow.

Kendal was among the tourist hotspots affected by the rising water levels today with the River Kent looking very swollen, while the clubhouse at Keswick Rugby Club was completely flooded as nearby roads turned into rivers.

The River Rothay burst its banks, the Windermere ferry was suspended and there was flooding on the road into Borrowdale. After Honister Pass, the next wettest place in Cumbria was Seathwaite with 273mm (11in) of rain.

Meanwhile, residents in Glasgow, which is hosting the COP26 climate change event from Sunday, have also suffered in recent weeks from overflowing rubbish and gutters filling with litter as once-fortnightly bin collections were pushed back.

A ‘danger to life’ amber weather warning which began yesterday remained in place for South West Scotland until this morning today, as well as another in Cumbria, much of Wales and Lancashire until midnight tonight.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 17 flood warnings and five alerts today, while England’s Environment Agency has nine warnings and 19 alerts, and Natural Resources Wales has issued four alerts.

Sepa warned: ‘Heavy and persistent rain across southern Scotland overnight into Thursday is likely to lead to river and surface water flooding in eastern Dumfries and Galloway and western Scottish Borders – expect flooding.’

A broken down car in floodwater near Derwentwater in Cumbria this morning as the Lake District is hit by heavy rain

Heavy rain continues to cause disruption in parts of the Lake District today, including on the A592 near Windermere

High water levels in Cockermouth, Cumbria, today where the Met Office has warned of life-threatening flooding

Flooding was possible at Pollok Country Park just south of where the River Clyde passes through central Glasgow, with Sepa also reporting almost 24mm (1in) of rainfall over 36 hours at nearby Dalmarnock.

Most of the other flood warnings were in the Borders, where the Eskdalemuir Observatory recorded 79mm (3.1in) of rain in the same period – to 11pm yesterday – with another two warnings in Dumfries and Galloway.

Sefra had also issued flood alerts for Edinburgh and Lothian as well as Ayrshire and Arran. The Met Office also said there is a chance of ‘fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life’.

Spells of sustained rainfall are expected further south throughout the day, with a yellow warning issued for heavy rain to spread across South East Wales before clearing to the east through Friday, the Met Office said.

There are also yellow weather warnings in place for parts of Yorkshire, County Durham and Northumberland – and Wales also has the same warning for rain across most of the country until tomorrow afternoon.

The rain has raised fears of travel delays and communities becoming cut off amid the ‘persistent and heavy downpours’, the Met Office said. It also warned of power cuts as well as properties being flooded.

‘These are exceptional rainfall totals for even the wettest part of the UK, which is Cumbria on average, and for the wettest part of the year,’ Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said in a forecast video.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 17 flood warnings (in red) and five alerts (in amber) in place today

England’s Environment Agency has nine flood warnings and 19 alerts in place, the majority of which are in the North West

Network Rail said it was expecting ‘extreme rainfall’ and said speed limits and reduced services would be in place on some routes between yesterday and tomorrow, with disruption to the West Coast Mainline.

Scotland plans ‘ambitious programme of events’ during Cop26

The Scottish Government is planning an ‘ambitious programme of events’ during Cop26 to showcase Scotland’s green credentials, a minister has said.

Michael Matheson, the Scottish Net Zero Secretary, said the Government wants to be a bridge between those outside the formal negotiations and those inside.

MSPs debated the ‘global ambitions for Cop26’ at the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

Mr Matheson said the Scottish Government would launch the Net Zero Futures Initiative, which encourages climate action from states and regions.

He said children and young people would have ‘meaningful opportunities to participate’ through the Conference of Youth.

The minister said: ‘We are delivering an ambitious programme of events that will support the global objectives of Cop26, advance our climate agenda, strengthen collaboration, and showcase Scottish activity.’

There will be multiple opportunities to showcase Scotland’s renewable energy and transport sectors, he said, which would put Scotland ‘at the vanguard of action internationally’.

Passengers travelling between Glasgow or Edinburgh and Carlisle are being advised to travel only if the journey is ‘absolutely necessary’.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: ‘Extreme rainfall can pose a serious risk to the railway, causing landslips or damaging our infrastructure and bridges.

‘The safety of our passengers and colleagues is our main priority during periods of poor weather, and slowing services down and running fewer trains will help us manage these conditions for everyone.’

The rain lashing the UK is due to a stream of warm moist air that has moved up from the tropics. Up to ten inches (250mm) is expected to fall in Cumbria over two days – almost twice as much as in a typical October.

Ben Lukey, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: ‘A slow-moving band of heavy and persistent rain could bring surface water and river flooding and disruption to travel, to communities in Cumbria and parts of the north of England from today (Wednesday) through to Friday and Saturday.

‘Working with our partners in local resilience forums, Environment Agency teams have been out on the ground clearing waste grilles and screens, and stand ready to operate flood defences if needed.

‘They are also ready to support local authorities in their response to surface water flooding. We are urging residents and visitors, especially holidaymakers in the Lake District, to stay alert and check their flood risk by signing up for free flood warnings on the Gov.uk website and via @EnvAgency on Twitter, which offer the latest updates.’

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said residents should ‘be alert to the dangers of flood water’. ‘Never enter flood water on foot or in a vehicle. Call 999 if life is at risk – we’re here to help,’ the service tweeted.

The heavy rain started in the Lake District yesterday, where a search was mounted for a 17-year-old boy who went missing while out walking. He was later found safe.

Cumbria’s flood chief Stewart Mounsey said: ‘Our teams are working 24/7 to prepare for any impacts, removing debris from our rivers and checking flood defences.’

Flooding on Byres Road in Glasgow’s West End last night, just days before the Cop26 climate summit begins on Sunday

He also urged residents to be aware of potential flood risk in their area and said they were ready to operate defences ‘if required’.

Further spells of ‘prolonged and heavy’ rain are expected in most areas into the weekend. However, South East England is due to see drier, sunnier conditions.

While Cumbria and parts of Scotland are due to bear the brunt of the severe weather, other parts of northern England could receive a maximum of 150mm (6in) of rain, with more widespread totals of 30mm (1.2in) to 60mm (2.4in) at lower levels and 80mm (3.2in) to 100mm (4in) on the hills and fells.

Meanwhile, the wettest parts of Wales could receive 160mm (6.2in); more generally, there could be 100mm (4in) to 120mm (4.8m) on high ground and 40mm (1.6in) to 60mm (2.4in) at lower levels.

Temperatures today are set to be very mild despite the cloud and heavy rain – reaching highs of 18C (64F) in northern areas and 17C (63F) further south.

The weather is due to remain mild into the weekend with maximum temperatures in the mid-teens Celsius. In contrast to the wet conditions in the North and West, drier and brighter weather is likely in the South and East.

Further spells of ‘prolonged and heavy’ rain are expected in most areas into the weekend with the best chance of dry weather limited to South East England.

The rain comes as Nicola Sturgeon continues to come under pressure over Glasgow’s preparations for the COP26 climate change summit after her critics warned she risks embarrassing the UK on the world stage.

Ms Sturgeon has been slammed by opposition politicians for lecturing world leaders on how to achieve a cleaner planet after photographs showed streets in her own Glasgow constituency littered with rubbish

Photographs taken yesterday showed a variety of litter on the streets of the Govanhill area of Glasgow

Opposition politicians called the situation an ‘international embarrassment’ at a time when the focus of the world’s media is on the city

There are fears the crunch gathering could be overshadowed by a variety of problems, with the SNP being told to ‘fix the issues in their own back yard’.

Council bosses have been under fire over the cleanliness of the city as they denied that bins are overflowing.

Less than two miles from the main arena where the COP26 summit begins on Sunday, piles of rubbish, fly-tipped items and overflowing bins were clear for all to see in the Govanhill area of Glasgow Southside, which Ms Sturgeon represents at the Scottish Parliament.

Sodden mattresses, dumped couches and pile after pile of bursting black bin bags remained uncollected on pavements and at street corners.

Meanwhile, addressing students at Strathclyde University in the city, the SNP leader spoke of encouraging ‘national governments to match the ambition of cities, regions and state governments’.

Opposition politicians called the situation an ‘international embarrassment’ at a time when the focus of the world’s media is on the city.

Nicola Sturgeon ordered to get her own house in order ahead of COP26 summit in Glasgow as rubbish in her OWN constituency amid bin strike

Nicola Sturgeon is under growing pressure over Glasgow’s preparations for the COP26 climate change summit after her critics warned she risks embarrassing the UK on the world stage.

The UN summit will take place from October 31 to November 12 as Boris Johnson welcomes world leaders to the city to hammer out a plan to reduce harmful emissions.

But there are fears the crunch gathering could be overshadowed by a variety of problems, with the SNP being told to ‘fix the issues in their own back yard’.

Council bosses have been under fire over the cleanliness of the city as they denied that bins are overflowing.

Meanwhile, the summit has prompted hotel prices to surge to unprecedented levels amid reports that delegates unable to find accommodation will stay in neighbouring towns and cities, making them reliant on potentially patchy train services.

The summit is also taking place against a backdrop of elevated coronavirus case numbers.

Nicola Sturgeon is under growing pressure over Glasgow’s preparations for the COP26 climate change summit

Ms Sturgeon gave a speech earlier this week in which she lectured world leaders on how they should protect the environment.

However, at the very same time that the First Minister was urging politicians to take ‘credible actions’ to achieve net zero emissions and a cleaner planet, photographs were taken of streets in her own constituency ‘overflowing with rubbish’.

Sodden mattresses, dumped couches and pile after pile of bursting black bin bags remained uncollected on pavements and at street corners.

Meanwhile, addressing students at Strathclyde University in the city, the SNP leader spoke of encouraging ‘national governments to match the ambition of cities, regions and state governments’.

Opposition politicians called the situation an ‘international embarrassment’ at a time when the focus of the world’s media is on the city.

Conservative MSP for the Glasgow region Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland should use the “power of our example” to lead the fight against climate change – yet what kind of example is it that the streets of our First Minister’s own constituency are overflowing with rubbish?

‘The mess in Glasgow’s streets is on track to become an international embarrassment.

‘Our city has got into this state due to years of SNP incompetence and neglect, at both the Government and council level.

‘Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP must urgently fix the issues in their own back yard if they want to have any credibility discussing environmental issues on the international stage.’

Concern has been growing for months over fly-tipping and litter in Glasgow, which critics say has been fuelled by charges for the bulk uplift of domestic waste.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: ‘Credibility begins at home – with bins collected, trains running and Glasgow flourishing.

‘Instead, rubbish is lining the streets in the First Minister’s own back yard, while her government misses their own climate targets. If Nicola Sturgeon is serious about credible action, she should take some.’

Glasgow’s council leader yesterday denied bins are overflowing and rubbish collectors have needed hospital treatment for rat attacks, as she insisted the city is ready to host COP26.

Susan Aitken said Glasgow is ready ‘with caveats’ for the UN conference and none of the problems the city faces is ‘enough to cause panic’.

Concern has been growing for months over fly-tipping and litter in Glasgow, which critics say has been fuelled by charges for the bulk uplift of domestic waste

Sodden mattresses, dumped couches and pile after pile of bursting black bin bags remained uncollected on pavements and at street corners

The UN COP26 summit will take place in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12. The Hydro, one of the venues being used for the summit, is pictured yesterday

Giving evidence to Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee about preparations for COP26, Ms Aitken argued that other cities are dirtier than Glasgow and she is ‘not embarrassed’ about its condition.

She said it is ‘entirely gratuitous’ to suggest the city is in a state of disrepair but that cleansing staff are ‘working round the clock’ ahead of the climate summit.

The Glasgow City Council leader said: ‘The COP26 co-ordinating board within the council met last week and the verdict was that we are ready, with caveats.

‘I would say the caveats are mainly technical, some of them have already been resolved or are being ticked off. None of them were massive, none of them were enough to cause panic.’

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross asked whether the ‘technical issues were that the bins are overflowing, there’s rats in the streets and some of your employees have been taken to hospital while collecting that rubbish?’

Ms Aitken denied that was the case, although she later admitted that there have been ‘small incidents’ where rubbish collectors had been taken to hospital after ‘very minor contact with a rat’.

The rows over rubbish came amid fears that train worker strikes could cause significant disruption during the summit.

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