A York-based rail firm is offering free travel to people returning home to the UK following extensive wildfires on the Greek Islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has announced it is responding to the plight of holidaymakers and others returning to the UK.
The firm will offer free Standard travel on any LNER service along the East Coast route for anyone whose flight back to the UK results in them landing in a different airport from their home location or them travelling on a different day.
Customers should present their stamped passport and airline boarding card confirming travel from the islands within the previous twenty-four hours to travel with LNER between today (Tuesday, July 25) and Monday, August 7.
David Horne, managing director at LNER, said: “We recognise this is a difficult time for many people in Greece as wildfires continue to grip the Islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
“At LNER we feel it is the right thing to do to assist those people returning to the UK to make their way home.”
LNER operates York Railway Station and serves more than 50 stations along the East Coast route, totalling 956 miles including major towns and cities between London, the East Midlands, Yorkshire, North East of England and Scotland.
Temperatures had risen above 40C again this morning in parts of Greece following more night-time evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days.
The latest evacuation orders were issued on the islands of Corfu and Evia while a blaze on the island of Rhodes continued to move inland, torching mountainous forest areas, including part of a nature reserve.
According to the Press Association, desperate residents, many with wet towels around their necks to stave off the scorching heat, used shovels to beat back flames approaching their homes, while firefighting planes and helicopters resumed water drops at first light.
Authorities said that more than 20,000 people have been involved in evacuations on the island, mostly tourists over the weekend, when fire swept through two coastal areas on the south east of Rhodes.
The European Union has sent 500 firefighters, 100 vehicles and seven planes from 10 member states, while Turkey, Israel, Egypt and other countries have also sent help.
“For the 12th day, under extreme conditions of heat and strong winds, we are fighting non-stop on dozens of forest fire fronts… The Greek Fire Service has battled more than 500 fires — more than 50 a day,” said Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection.
EU officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across the European continent, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.
For more information about LNER’s travel options, follow @LNER on Twitter.
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