COMMUTERS using Britain’s beleaguered rail network were the first to feel the post-Bank Holiday blues this morning as maintenance work at Paddington Station in West London overran, leaving thousands of travellers facing delays.

The station, closed throughout the Easter weekend for signalling work, causing disruptions across the West of England, is still shut this morning. Network Rail, the rail operator, blamed high winds for the delay in finishing the work, but said that the station should reopen this afternoon.

Passengers travelling to Paddington from South Wales and the West were being advised to change at Ealing Broadway or Reading for connections into London.

On the West Coast of Scotland yesterday, a huge forest and moorland blaze was still raging across 27 square miles of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, north of Mull, five days after it started. The worst forest fires in parts of Wales for more than 25 years were, however, brought under control, helped by heavy showers in the North West that rounded off an uneven Easter weekend for sun-seeking tourists.

The rain failed to reach the Scottish Highlands peninsula, home to about 2,000 people, where 60 firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control. At midday the wind changed direction and began blowing flames back from forest on to moorland, threatening housing at Branault and Kilmory.

By teatime the blaze, which had began near Salen in the east of the peninsula, had spread west and covered about half the area between Glenborrodale and the tiny crofting township of Kilchoan, in the west, threatening wildlife and ancient oak forests. Elsewhere in Scotland and Wales the rain assisted firefighters in dousing numerous forest and moorland fires that had erupted over the weekend because of “tinderbox” conditions. It is thought that the outbreaks will have caused millions of pounds of damage to forestry land.

In Wales all major fires had been extinguished by yesterday morning, but there were warnings last night that they could return. Greg Clement, senior divisional officer for South Wales Fire Service, said: “We suspect that by the end of the week it may pick up again and we may be back to the situation that we had last weekend, especially if it stays dry.”

He added that a few isolated grassland fires were still being extinguished, but that the public was now more vigilant and aware of the threat.

Yesterday there was the heaviest rainfall this month across northwest England and North Wales, with heavy showers in Central Scotland. Elsewhere was drier and warmer, with temperatures of up to 19C (66F) recorded in some parts of East Anglia.

The Met Office said that showers were still predicted for today in Scotland and Northern Ireland. England and Wales would remain largely dry with some sunny parts, and with temperatures between 16C (61F) and 18C (64F) — above average for the time of year. Rain is expected to return on Thursday.

The unseasonably warm spell has been disastrous for Scotland’s five ski resorts, which were all forced to close early before the traditionally busy Easter holiday because of a lack of snow. This year’s snowfall had been below average, but the warm weather from last month onwards melted any hopes of a late cold snap to boost the industry.

Holidaymakers returning home yesterday caused congestion on key routes from the coasts.

The RAC said that traffic had built up around Devon and Somerset, and routes from Weymouth and Bournemouth were blocked. There was slow traffic along the M6 from Blackpool and delays were reported on the M1 southbound towards London.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Times Christmas appeal: Letter from the Editor
• Conferences — what a waste of money
• Schools supremo learns a painful lesson