Storm Ciara: Is it safe to drive today? What road closures are in place? Latest advice

UK storm damage caused officials to close many key roads as trees, lampposts and even floodwater blocked routes to villages and towns. Some major routes remain closed into Monday morning due to heavy damage while the Met Office warned of further tricky conditions for motorists due to the storm. 

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Can I travel on the roads today? What roads are still closed? 

Cambridgeshire Constabulary last night confirmed parts of the M11 would remain closed into the morning rush hour due to damage to Duxford’s Imperial War Museum. 

Highways England conned a one mile exclusion zone has been put into place due to the damage which could see the road closed until Wednesday. 

Diversions have been put into place around the affected area, although traffic was being pushed back to tier regions. 

On Twitter, motorist David Walston said: “This is hilarious, M11 and A505 shut, Thriplow has become a rat run. Schools top off will be mayhem.” 

The QE2 bridge at the Dartford Crossing was closed throughout the majority of Sunday but was reopened to motorists at around 4:30am the morning.

The Orwell Bridge near Ipswich has been open although Highways England officials confirmed this would be considered for closure if wind speeds increased to 50mph. 

Many local regions ahem also been affected by small-scale damage wand flooding and road users are urged to check with their local enforcement agencies for updates. 

However, motorists are warned cleanup operations could last throughout the week which could cause delays to journeys. 

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How safe is it to drive on the roads today?

The Met Office still has yellow weather warnings in place across several regions of the U today in the wake of Storm Ciara. 

Yellow weather warnings are in place across the South East with Met Office officials saying some delays to road, rail. air and ferry transport were still likely. 

Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes were also possible as motorists were purged to take extra caution on the roads. 

Yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place around parts of Scotland with The Met Office warring of further delays and some stranded vehicles. 

Weather warnings in the aftermath of these tromp remain in place across some areas of Scotland until Wednesday. 

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  • How to stay safe driving in heavy winds today

Motorists must take extra precaution while travelling in stormy weather to avoid car crashes or small incidents. 

Stopping distances must be increased in wet weather conditions to allow a space for your vehicles to stop under sudden braking. 

Wet weather could reduce your overall grip and traction on the road surface which can lead to aquaplaning or skidding. 

You can avoid this by making sure your tyres are inflated to the correct level and that the tyre tread depth is not lower than 1.6mm. 

This is the bar legal level and road users without 1.6mm could be hit with massive £2,500 fines and even points on a driving licence. 

Motorists must check their windscreen wipers are fully functional ins trim weather as failure to clear a screen can lead to vision impairments. 

This can make it hard to see the road ahead and likely increases your risk of having a car crash. 

Your car insurance can even be invalidate of companies find out your vision was not up to scratch at the time of an accident. 

In storms, RAC expects say motorists must weigh up whether their journey is necessary before leaving their driveway. 

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