More than 150,000 homes still without power as first victim named as football coach

More than 160,000 homes were still without power more than 24 hours after Storm Darragh hit the UK, the Energy Networks Association has said.

The storm caused widespread disruption across the country on Saturday when wind gusts were recored at up to 96mph.

On Sunday, a yellow wind warning for the whole of England and Wales remained in place for most of Sunday.

But the damage caused by the powerful winds meant tens of thousands of customers were still without power on Sunday afternoon, although 91 per cent of affected customers had had their connection restored.

The Environment Agency still had more than 50 flood warnings, meaning flooding was expected, across England on Sunday afternoon.

The continued disruption came as the first fatal victim of the storm was named.

Football coach Paul Fiddler was killed after a tree fell on his van on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.

Mr Fiddler was one of two people who died in the storms yesterday. The second was a man who was killed when a tree fell on his car in Erdington in Birmingham.

Key Points

• More than 150,000 left without power 24 hours after storm

• Victim of storm killed by fallen tree named as football coach

• Man recalls ‘devastating’ moment Storm Darragh ripped son’s pre-school apart

Storm Darragh map: Where are the weather warnings and when will it end

Sunday 8 December 2024 23:15 , Tom Watling

Storm Darragh map: Where are the weather warnings and when will it end

Storm Darragh: Train lines reopen but thousands remain without power in NI

Sunday 8 December 2024 22:30 , Tom Watling

Storm Darragh: Train lines reopen but thousands remain without power in NI

Man recalls ‘devastating’ moment Storm Darragh ripped son’s pre-school apart

Sunday 8 December 2024 21:49 , Tom Watling

A man who watched his three-year-old son’s pre-school get torn apart by strong winds from Storm Darragh in rural west Wales has described the experience as “devastating”.

Brett Stones, 45, looked on in horror as the roof of the Cylch Meithrin in New Quay, Ceredigion, detached and blew away on Saturday afternoon.

The area fell within the rare red warning for wind that was issued by the Met Office for the storm.

Mr Stones said the strong winds started in New Quay around 2am on Saturday before “everything went nuts” at around 1pm.

He told the PA news agency: “I’ve got dozens of trees down and fences and tiles, so instead of watching it all go wrong we went into the house. Then the power went out at about 2pm, so we were just sat around the kitchen table looking at each other.

“There was a big creaking noise from out the back of the house – the school is about 50m from my house – and a piece of fluffy insulation came into the garden.

“We ran upstairs to the window just as the roof peeled off and flew into the tennis courts.”

Mr Stones, owner of a local dolphin watching boat trip company, said bits of insulation from the roof ended up a mile and a half away.

Mr Stones has set up a GoFundMe page to fundraise for repairs to the pre-school, which had received more than £4,100 in donations as of Sunday evening.

UK must get prepared for extreme weather like Storm Darragh, climate chief warns

Sunday 8 December 2024 21:12 , Tom Watling

UK must get prepared for extreme weather like Storm Darragh, climate chief warns

Victims of flood struggle to contact National Grid

Sunday 8 December 2024 20:33 , Tom Watling

A woman near Exton, Devon, said she feels “frustrated” and “annoyed” after struggling to contact National Grid to report a power cut since 5pm on Saturday due to Storm Darragh.

Deb Knowles, 43, told the PA news agency she was lighting candles and using a torch in her house on Saturday, and decided to take her unwell children to her mother’s house on Sunday.

“My mum is in remission and catching this flu or chest infection would be dangerous for her, but I have no choice, the kids need warmth, hot water and food,” she said.

She said: “I’ve been pretty much trying all night, all this morning, all day, to call the 105 number to report the outage, because on the website it’s saying that there is no known outage, so I don’t know if they know that we have nothing.”

“I feel very annoyed and very frustrated,” she said when asked how she feels about not being able to get through to National Grid, adding she has spoken to her neighbours and they are “all in the same sort of situation”.

Victim of Storm Darragh who was killed by fallen tree named as football coach

Sunday 8 December 2024 20:02 , Alex Ross

The first victim of Storm Darragh, who was killed after a tree fell on to his van in Lancashire, has been named locally as football coach Paul Fiddler.

Mr Fiddler, who was in his 40s, was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lytham Town FC said on Facebook that Mr Fiddler was a club “legend”.

It added: “A well loved coach, football player, gaffer but most of all a true friend.

“Paul, thank you for everything mate. Our thoughts are with the Lytham Town lads, his friends and family at this time.

“Rest in Peace Paul. We will miss you.”

In pictures: Storm Darragh batters England

Sunday 8 December 2024 19:54 , Tom Watling

More than 150,000 left without power after storm, says energy network association

Sunday 8 December 2024 19:14 , Tom Watling

Around 161,000 customers were still without power as of 2pm on Sunday as a result of damage caused by Storm Darragh, the Energy Networks Association said.

In its latest update, the body said 91 per cent of affected customers had now had their supplies restored by network operators.

Storm Darragh leaves thousands still without power and flights cancelled after weekend of high winds

Sunday 8 December 2024 18:39 , Tom Watling

Storm Darragh leaves thousands without power and flights cancelled after high winds

Watch live: Planes battle Storm Darragh 90mph winds to land at Heathrow Airport

Sunday 8 December 2024 17:57 , Tom Watling

Watch: Planes battle Storm Darragh 90mph winds to land at Heathrow Airport

Rail chaos in West Midlands

Sunday 8 December 2024 17:17 , Tom Watling

Visitors who arrived at Birmingham’s celebrated Christmas market by rail may face major problems making the return journey, with many intercity trains cancelled as a result of the severe weather.

Between 3.30pm and 4.40pm alone, three CrossCountry Trains to Manchester have been cancelled, plus others to Edinburgh, Bristol and Cardiff.

West Midlands Trains to Hereford and Liverpool are also cancelled.

“Due to a tree falling on the overhead electric wires between Sandwell and Dudley and Wolverhampton, all lines are blocked,” says Avanti West Coast.

“Our services are currently unable to call at Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell and Dudley and Wolverhampton.”

“If your original journey was a direct service to any of the above stations then it will now involve a connection.

“For customers travelling from the north, rail replacement services are in operation between Stafford and Wolverhampton, Sandwell & Dudley and Birmingham New Street.

“For customers travelling from London Euston to any of the above stations, you may need to board a connecting service from Rugby to continue your journey.

“These alterations are expected to be in place until the end of the day.”

In pictures: Storm Darragh floods Britain

Sunday 8 December 2024 16:39 , Tom Watling

Family light candles after 24 hours withotu power

Sunday 8 December 2024 16:05 , Tom Watling

A woman near Rackenford, Devon, has said her family were lighting candles in the “pitch black” after going more than 24 hours without power due to Storm Darragh.

Theresa White, 55, told the PA news agency that the power went out at 12.30pm on Saturday and the family were without water other than one tap, forcing them to collect rainwater to flush the toilets.

“We had no internet and all our phone signals weren’t working, so we were basically cut off and we do live in a wooded area,” she said, adding they were too scared to leave the house on Saturday in case a tree fell on them.

Ms White said she initially felt “a bit let down” to be told by EDF that power would not be restored until 8pm on Monday, but the power returned at around 3pm on Sunday.

Rail chaos ongoing in Wales and Scotland

Sunday 8 December 2024 15:36 , Simon Calder

Transport for Wales is advising passengers to postpone journeys. The organisation says: “Storm Darragh is expected to bring heavy rain and wind and will continue today.

Some services will be cancelled in the South West Wales, and on the North Wales Coast, Heart of Wales, and Cambrian lines where the weather is expected to be the worst. Speed restrictions will apply across the route, so journeys may take longer than usual. Services on all routes are subject to cancellation, delay and alteration.”

A fallen tree between Wolverhampton and Stafford, and a landslip between Nuneaton and Tamworth, are causing problems on the West Coast main line.

In Scotland, speed restrictions are in place between Aberdeen and Inverness, Ayr and Stranraer, Edinburgh-Dundee-Aberdeen, Glasgow-Aberdeen and Glasgow-Carlisle.

Rail passengers endure another day of misery

Sunday 8 December 2024 14:55 , Barney Davis

Severe weather and staff shortages are combining to make Sunday another miserable day for many rail passengers in the UK.

Great Western Railway (GWR) is urging passengers to “avoid travelling if possible” as Westbury station in Wiltshire is closed due to damage to the station roof.

The rail firm is also asking passengers not to travel to Bath Christmas market on Sunday, saying: “The cancellation of Saturday’s market means larger crowds are expected. If overcrowding becomes severe, we may not be able to stop at Bath Spa station.

In Cornwall, the line from Plymouth to Penzance reopened but has now closed again “due to a large tree on both lines” at Bodmin Parkway.

For travellers between Kent, southeast London and the centre of the capital, National Rail warns: “Multiple signals have failed in the area of London Victoria. This, in combination with engineering work across the network, is causing severe disruption to many routes.”

The lines affected are all on the Southeastern side of Victoria station, not the main line serving Gatwick and Brighton.

In northern England, damage caused by a tree that fell onto overhead power lines between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds is continuing to disrupt LNER, CrossCountry and Northern services. Northern has also suspended the link between Middlesbrough and Whitby.

In pictures: ‘Worrying’ floodwaters to rise in wake of Storm Darragh

Sunday 8 December 2024 14:15 , Barney Davis

Residents are struggling with rising floodwater in Greyfriars Avenue in Hereford, Herefordshire, after Storm Darragh caused the River Wye to burst its banks.

Council leader Diana Toynbee posted on X: “A worrying day for residents of #Greyfriars #Hereford the #Wye now at 5.3 metres and still rising.

“Predicted to peak ‘this evening’.”

Flight cancellations hit 20,000 Heathrow passengers

Sunday 8 December 2024 13:40 , Simon Calder

British Airways alone has grounded more than 100 short-haul international flights and 30 domestic services to and from Heathrow.

They include five round-trips to Amsterdam, and four to each of Copenhagen, Dublin and Milan.

Three flights to Aberdeen and Edinburgh and back have also been cancelled. Other airlines have grounded multiple flights at Heathrow including Lufthansa services to Frankfurt and Munich, KLM to and from Amsterdam and Aer Lingus to Cork and Dublin.

In total, at least 20,000 passengers are likely to be affected. Air passengers’ rights rules require airlines that cancel departures to provide flights on the same day if any seats are available on any carrier.

The cancelling airline must also provide meals and, if necessary, accommodation while the passenger is waiting to reach their destination.

The Independent has asked British Airways for a response. Separately, passengers on a United Airlines flight from New York Newark to London Heathrow endured a four-hour “flight to nowhere” after the Boeing 767 turned back just beyond Nova Scotia.

Big Jet TV continues to capture wobbly landings in high winds of Heathrow

Sunday 8 December 2024 12:30 , Barney Davis

This is the moment a plane struggles to land at Heathrow Airport in the aftermath of Storm Darragh.

The footage, captured by Big Jet TV shows the aircraft battling the winds as it sways from side to side, before a bumping landing on the runway.

Weather warning in place across England until 6pm

Sunday 8 December 2024 12:01 , Barney Davis

Strong winds will continue to hamper the majority of the UK on Sunday following the widespread disruption caused by Storm Darragh.

Gusts of up to 70mph could still lead to difficult driving conditions and short-term loss of power, with public transport also badly impacted, the Met Office said.

The forecaster issued a fresh yellow wind warning for the whole of England and Wales which came into force at 6am and is in place until 6pm on Sunday.

A separate yellow rain warning covering Northumberland expired at 9am.

The Environment Agency still had more than 50 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and more than 130 flood alerts issued across England on Sunday morning.

In pictures: Epic waves crash into Sunderland lighthouse

Sunday 8 December 2024 11:19 , Barney Davis

National Grid say 58,000 properties without power in Wales

Sunday 8 December 2024 10:30 , Barney Davis

About 60,000 homes and businesses are still without power across Wales after Storm Darragh battered large parts of the country.

Scottish Power reported numerous outages in its area, mainly across north and mid Wales, saying, in some cases, power would not be restored until Monday.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) added there were 21 flood warnings, external – the second highest alert – in effect.

Train lines reopen as Storm Darragh subsides but thousands still without power

Sunday 8 December 2024 10:29 , Barney Davis

On Sunday morning, public transport provider Translink said all rail lines were open, although some speed restrictions are in place across Northern Ireland.

NIE Networks said 15,000 remained without power at 9am. They have indicated it may take a number of days to reconnect those customers.

Network operations manager Alex Houston said engineers are working to restore customers as quickly as possible.

“Most of the faults affecting high numbers of customers have been repaired.

“However, there are still around 1,200 faults across the network, some of which are affecting very small numbers of customers, so we do anticipate that it will take some time before we can get all of these cleared.”

Rail warnings as trees fall on to rails in high winds

Sunday 8 December 2024 09:41 , Barney Davis

Network Rail have told passengers in the south east to expect widespread disruption today as high winds continue to batter the country.

Watch hilarious moment Coventry City football player struggles to take corner in Storm Darragh

Sunday 8 December 2024 08:15 , Barney Davis

Yellow weather warnings remain in England, Wales and the far south of Scotland

Sunday 8 December 2024 07:55 , Barney Davis

Strong winds associated with Storm Darragh will continue to ease gradually but yellow rain and wind warnings remain in place throughout Sunday.

This means:

• Some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer

• Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport expected

• Some short term loss of power and other services

• Coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves

• Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer

• Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely

60mm of rain expected to lash England throughout Sunday

Sunday 8 December 2024 07:10 , Barney Davis

The Met Office said heavy rain was expected to persist in central and eastern parts of England throughout Sunday, with 20-25mm forecast to fall across much of the country.

As much as 60mm could fall over high ground of the Cheviots, Pennines and North York Moors.

Wightlink said the 8am car ferry sailing from Portsmouth and 9am from Fishbourne were cancelled, along with the 7.15am and 8.15am Fastcat services from Portsmouth Harbour and the 7.45am and 8.45am services from Ryde Pier Head.

Further strong winds to batter UK

Sunday 8 December 2024 06:00 , Alex Ross

More strong winds are set to batter much of the UK after Storm Darragh swept through the country.

Gusts of up to 80mph could hit Northern Ireland until 6am on Sunday, before a fresh yellow Met Office wind warning comes into force across much of England and Wales.

More widely there are likely to be gusts of 35-45mph inland, even reaching 70mph around coasts during the morning.

It means that further travel disruption and power cuts are likely until 6pm, the Met Office said.

Flood warnings in place

Sunday 8 December 2024 05:04 , Alex Ross

The Environment Agency has in force 64 flood warnings for areas it believes flooding is expected – with many located on the border between Wales and England.

A spokesperson said: “Local flooding from rivers and surface water is probable in parts of the West Midlands, North East and North West England on Sunday.

“Local flooding may continue into Monday and Tuesday along parts of the River Severn in Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire until Tuesday. Land, roads and some properties could flood and there could be travel disruption.”

Outlook from Monday

Sunday 8 December 2024 04:04 , Alex Ross

Beyond the weather warnings for Monday, the Met Office says it will become more settled into the start of the week.

A spokesperson said there will be light winds for many and staying mainly dry.

However, they added that it will turn increasingly cloudy with patchy rain and drizzle lingering along the north and south coast.

Waterfall flowing upwards

Sunday 8 December 2024 03:04 , Alex Ross

So strong were the winds in Northern Ireland on Saturday that footage caught a waterfall flowing upwards.

This video was taken in Coleraine in Northern Ireland where winds reached 62mph on Saturday.

Four in five homes that lost power now reconnected

Sunday 8 December 2024 02:14 , Alex Ross

Energy Networks Association said 259,000 customers across England, Scotland and Wales were without power as of Saturday evening.

It said that 80 per cent of homes affected by the storm have been reconnected.

The Environment Agency had 56 flood warnings in place in England on Saturday evening, meaning flooding is expected.

Heartbroken family pay tribute to ‘well loved’ football coach killed in Storm Darragh

Sunday 8 December 2024 23:47 , Tom Watling

Heartbroken family pay tribute to ‘well loved’ football coach killed in Storm Darragh

Reminder of the two tragic deaths during Storm Darragh

Sunday 8 December 2024 01:00 , Alex Ross

As part of our coverage on Storm Darragh, we’ve reported on the deaths of two men.

Earlier on Saturday, one man died after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.

The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Later, West Midlands Police said another man had died in the storm.

The latest victim was killed when a tree fell and hit his car on Silver Birch Road, Erdington, on Saturday afternoon.

Sergeant Benjamin Parsons, of the roads policing unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed.”

The road was closed with drivers urged to avoid the area.

More than 20,000 customers still without power in Northern Ireland

Sunday 8 December 2024 00:01 , Alex Ross

More than 20,000 customers remain without power across Northern Ireland following Storm Darragh.

NIE Networks have warned it may take days for power to be restored to all customers in the region following damage caused by gusts of up to 70mph.

At the peak, some 48,000 were without power. NIE Networks said by 9pm on Saturday, about 22,000 remained without power.

A spokesperson said it is anticipated that a small number will have power restored overnight.

Damage in pictures

Saturday 7 December 2024 23:00 , Alex Ross

Winds of more than 90mph caused damage to attractions, businesses and homes – the repair work now begins

Everton fan who travelled from South Africa ‘shattered’ as derby is called off

Saturday 7 December 2024 22:00 , Alex Ross

An Everton fan who travelled from South Africa said his lifelong dream to watch his team play was “shattered” after the final league Merseyside derby at Goodison Park between Everton and Liverpool was postponed due to Storm Darragh.

Gareth Clark, 29, told the PA news agency he arrived in the UK from Cape Town on November 27 and has been staying in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh since then, with the Merseyside derby the highlight of his trip.

“It has been my lifelong dream to come and watch Everton, and I finally saved enough money to come and watch my first derby – and, of course, the final derby at Goodison. Also my first time that I have managed to come to the UK,” he said.

Mr Clark, a teacher, said he spent a “vast amount” of money on the trip, including around £750 for flights.

Mr Clark said he will likely watch Everton play in person in the future, but he is unsure when this will happen due to the financial cost of coming to the UK from South Africa.

“I’m a teacher so, realistically, probably not anytime soon. I’m getting married in April, and the budget will be quite tight. This one was a bit of a spur of the moment when my holidays ended and I had some money saved up.

“I really hope to be able to return to watch our last derby at Goodison, however, financially I do not think it will be possible.

“I’ve been a huge, huge Everton fan for a very long time, so I definitely think that I will be back, I’m just not sure when.”

Second man dies in Storm Darragh

Saturday 7 December 2024 20:17 , Alex Ross

A second man has died in Storm Darragh after a tree fell and hit his car this afternoon.

West Midlands Police were called to Erdington in Birmingham just after 3pm today, following reports that a tree had fallen and hit a car as a result of the storm conditions.

Sgt Benjamin Parsons said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed.

“A report will be passed onto the coroner. Anyone who saw what happened or who may have dashcam or mobile phone footage, is asked to please get in touch.”

Mapped weather warnings: Saturday night/Sunday

Saturday 7 December 2024 19:35 , Alex Ross

Weather warnings still in place

Saturday 7 December 2024 19:14 , Alex Ross

Multiple severe weather warnings are in force across the UK for Storm Darragh.

An amber warning for wind covers the whole of Northern Ireland as well as the western coasts of Wales and England, the whole of England and Wales are covered by a yellow warning for wind until tomorrow.

An amber warning for rain is also in force for parts of South Wales where up to 80-90mm of rain may fall over the course of the storm. Further yellow rain warnings are in force for the rest of Wales and parts of southern and eastern Scotland.

Sailor living on yacht in Portsmouth harbour documents storm

Saturday 7 December 2024 19:08 , Alex Ross

A sailor who lives on a yacht in Portsmouth said he was up all night listening to the howling winds of Storm Darragh and is “just riding out on coffee at the moment”.

Ed Coll, 29, told the PA news agency he has been living on a yacht in a marina in the city since January after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and decided to following his dream of living on a boat.

He has since recovered from cancer and has been documenting his experience living on the yacht on his TikTok @sailing.optimist for more than 5,000 followers.

Mr Coll has been filming his experience grappling with Storm Darragh, with one of his videos showing him preparing ahead of the storm gaining more than 1.2 million views.

He said the storm “sounds so much worse” in the marina with the various noises made by the wind and surrounding boats, adding: “Your mind can’t really switch off.

“My parents’ boat is four boats down from me, so I was going over there in the night to see if their boat was OK,” he said.

He pulled a neighbour’s dinghy out of the water in the morning after it had been blown off their boat by the strong winds.

“I heard this massive bang this morning and I was like, what on earth was that, and their dinghy had flown off of the front of their boat onto the pontoon and wedged down the side of the boat,” he said.

He added: “There’s a few boats in the marina where the covers have ripped. It’s just one of those annoying things. There’s nothing you can really do.”

Full report: Storm Darragh causes chaos across UK as 96mph winds leave one dead and hundreds of thousands without power

Saturday 7 December 2024 18:36 , Jabed Ahmed

Storm Darragh causes chaos as 96mph winds leave one dead and 170,000 without power

Storm Darragh map: Where are the weather warnings and when will it end

Saturday 7 December 2024 17:55 , Jabed Ahmed

Storm Darragh map: Where are weather warnings and when will storm end

Pier manager bemoans loss of ice cream kiosk

Saturday 7 December 2024 17:40 , Barney Davis

Paul Williams, general manager of Llandudno Pier in North Wales, said it may cost £250,000 to repair the damage Storm Darragh caused to the tourist attraction.

He said: “Overnight one of the kiosks, one of the original ones, which is roughly 148-years-old was ripped up.

“It’s the first time in its history that it has been tipped to one side.

“The ice cream stand at the end of the pier has been ripped up and it went into the sea. and there are about a thousand pieces washed up on the other side of the bay.

“The roof has come off the toilet and there’s real fear that we’ll potentially lose the bar and cafe down the end as well.”

He added: “Repair-wise you’re looking at about £250,000, easy.

“Potentially we may have to look at the pier not reopening for a considerable amount of time.”

Heathrow airport flight cancellations mount

Saturday 7 December 2024 17:05 , Simon Calder

At London Heathrow, the busiest airport in the UK, many flights have been diverted or cancelled. Brussels was the destination for diverted transatlantic flights including Delta from Atlanta, American Airlines from Dallas and Air Canada from Calgary.

British Airways has made more than 100 short-haul domestic and European cancellations at London Heathrow, including multiple flights to and from Edinburgh, Jersey, Milan, Nice and Vienna.

Holiday departures to and from Malaga, Larnaca and Gibraltar are also among those grounded.

Many other airlines’ flights are cancelled, including Lufthansa to and from Frankfurt and Munich, Air France to Paris CDG and KLM from Amsterdam.

Aer Lingus has grounded links from Cork, Dublin, Knock and Shannon to Heathrow, and the outbound flights.

Watch live: Planes battle Storm Darragh 90mph winds to land at Heathrow Airport

Saturday 7 December 2024 16:49 , Barney Davis

Watch live as planes battle Storm Darragh and wind speeds of over 90mph to land at Heathrow Airport on Saturday (7 December).

Several British Airways flights to and from Heathrow, Paris, the United States and the Netherlands have been cancelled amid the treacherous weather conditions.

Watch live: Planes battle Storm Darragh 90mph winds to land at Heathrow Airport

Early warning system may have saved Brits from harm – meteorologist

Saturday 7 December 2024 14:59 , Barney Davis

With one Brit killed so far in Storm Darragh a meteorologist claimed more could have seen harm if the UK didn’t have such accurate forecasts.

Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, meteorologist and head of the School of Mathematical Physical and Computational Sciences at the University of Reading, said: “Storm Darragh was well forecast and combined with the clearly communicated warnings seems to have provided the public with the information they needed to to make good decisions to avoid harm.

“It has been good to see public authorities like the Welsh FA and Premier League taking sensible action to prevent the need for people to travel and put themselves in danger.

“A key part of climate adaptation for the UK and countries around the world is having access to high-quality weather forecasts of extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent and more severe due to the warming climate.

“This storm is a reminder that the UK is very fortunate to have one of the most effective public weather services in the world. This should spur us on to help deliver on the UN’s commitment to develop early warnings for all, and provide similar life-saving warnings for people wherever they live in the world, whether in Lilongwe or Llandudno.”

Somerset businesses surprised how many customers still venturing out in fatal storm

Saturday 7 December 2024 14:55 , Barney Davis

Small businesses near the Bristol Channel in Somerset said tiles had flown off their buildings and they had faced delivery issues.

Eleanor Sedgwick, 23, a front-of-house supervisor at Scarlett’s in Clevedon, said the cafe did not open on Saturday morning because it was “too big of a risk”.

She told the PA news agency: “The years that I’ve worked here, I’ve never had to close because of the weather, apart from when it snowed.”

Ms Sedgwick said four tiles fell off their roof but she felt the business had “got off quite lucky” compared with previous storms.

She added: “We’re very fortunate because we are the first sort of wall (the storm) hit, so it’s scary but I’m glad that everyone’s happy and safe.”

Ben England, 47, manager of the Tiffin cafe on the same beachfront, said: “Last night we put all the (outside) chairs under wraps and tried to make it as secure as possible.

“Some of our deliveries didn’t make it through from Bristol, but I think we should be OK. I cancelled probably 80% of our staff that were coming in today, so it’s literally just the skeleton crew.”

Both Ms Sedgwick and Mr England said they were surprised at the number of customers venturing out.

Major incident has been declared in Wales

Saturday 7 December 2024 14:33 , Barney Davis

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was continuing to experience high volumes of calls about fallen trees and poor driving conditions.

Superintendent Chris Neve said: “I have this morning declared a major incident for the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys, which means that together with our partners, we can call on the resources we need to respond to the challenges brought by Storm Darragh.

“I’d like to reassure the public that at this time, Dyfed-Powys Police is still able to respond to priority calls for service.

“We have robust plans in place to respond to Storm Darragh, and we continue to work extremely closely with partner agencies to do so through local resilience arrangements and close working on the ground.

“The safety of the public remains our top priority and I am urging everyone to take the warnings that have been issued seriously.

“I’d like to thank our communities for their support at this time, and once again ask that you avoid unnecessary travel and follow all official advice to stay safe.”

Met Office forecast for more wind and rain

Saturday 7 December 2024 14:09 , Barney Davis

The Met Office may have downgraded the earlier red alert but the latest forecasts shows Storm Darragh will continues to bring wet and very windy weather.

Man dies in Lancashire as tree falls onto van while driving

Saturday 7 December 2024 13:36 , Jabed Ahmed

A man has died during Storm Darragh after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.

The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Sgt Matt Davidson, from Lancashire Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Very sadly this incident has resulted in the death of a man and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.

“An investigation is ongoing, and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened or has any dashcam or mobile phone footage to please get in touch.”

Brave Storm Darragh watchers line harbour as 10-foot waves crash against wall

Saturday 7 December 2024 13:30 , Barney Davis

Footage from Porthcawl, South Wales, shows people lined up close to the harbour edge to catch a glimpse of the storm on Saturday (7 December).

Porthcawl is covered by a Met Office red warning for wind, which covers parts of Wales and the South West of England, including Cardiff, Bristol and Devon.

Brave Storm Darragh watchers line harbour as 10-foot waves crash against wall

Bus crashes into house during high winds in Northern Ireland

Saturday 7 December 2024 12:59 , Barney Davis

An airport transfer bus is pictured after leaving the road and crashing into a house in Templepatrick during high winds on December 7, 2024 in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland.

Storm Darragh is the fourth named storm of this season and is expected to bring gusts of wind up to 80mph and heavy rain through the weekend.

Storm Darragh brings travel chaos to UK on rail, air and sea amid weather warnings

Saturday 7 December 2024 12:34 , Barney Davis

Trees have been blown on to tracks and station roofs dismantled by Storm Darragh’s heavy winds sparking mass cancellations across the rail network.

Hundreds of flights across the country have been diverted or cancelled, with dozens of ferry crossings on the Irish Sea and in the Western Isle of Scotland also cancelled.

Simon Calder reports the key problem areas travellers should be aware of:

Storm Darragh brings travel chaos to UK on rail, air and sea – what you need to know

Plane struggles to land at Heathrow Airport as Storm Darragh hits UK with wind speeds reaching 90mph

Saturday 7 December 2024 12:30 , Barney Davis

This is the moment a plane struggles to land at Heathrow Airport as Storm Darragh hits the UK with wind speeds reaching 90mph.

The footage, captured by Big Jet TV on Saturday (7 December), shows the aircraft battling the winds as it sways from side to side, before a bumping landing on the runway.

Several British Airways flights to and from Heathrow, Paris, the United States and the Netherlands have already been cancelled.

Plane struggles to land at Heathrow Airport as Storm Darragh hits UK

Falling trees destroy parked cars across Penarth, south Wales

Saturday 7 December 2024 12:25 , Barney Davis

Train station roof blown onto tracks in Wiltshire

Saturday 7 December 2024 12:15 , Barney Davis

Great Western Railway has warned passengers of “significant delays” as part of the roof of Westbury station – was blown off onto the tracks.

Many Great Western Railway lines are closed including Cardiff to Swansea and on to Carmarthen for the rest of the day, Plymouth to Penzance at least until lunchtime and all the GWR branch lines in Devon and Cornwall.

GWR has also issued a Do Not Travel notice for Sunday – but that is because of an expected shortage of train crew rather than bad weather. Anyone with a ticket for this weekend can use it on Monday

Met Office extends yellow wind warning for the whole of Sunday

Saturday 7 December 2024 12:00 , Barney Davis

Yellow wind warnings will be in place across much of the UK, including London and the South East, on Sunday.

The Met Office says you can expect to see:

• A slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs

• It is likely that some roads and bridges could close, with impacts from falling trees

• There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage

• There is a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties

• There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris

• There is likely to be longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected

Storm Darragh makes landfall in Ireland as 90mph winds batter seafront

Saturday 7 December 2024 11:20 , Barney Davis

Red warning downgraded to amber

Saturday 7 December 2024 11:16 , Barney Davis

A rare red warning covering parts of Wales and south-west England on Saturday has expired at 11am.

But the Met Office downgrading the region to an amber alert said a period of very strong northerly or northwesterly winds is likely to remain during Saturday as Storm Darragh moves from west to east.

Gusts of 70 to 80 mph are likely around exposed coasts and headlands, where some very large waves are likely, whilst gusts of 60 to 70 mph are likely inland. The strongest winds will ease from the west through the afternoon.

A yellow warning for wind remains in effect until 6am on Sunday morning.

Stunning shot of waves crashing into Moher cliffs

Saturday 7 December 2024 11:12 , Barney Davis

Photographer Elaine Farrell captured stunning shots at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland.

Storm Darragh has brought travel chaos to Scotland

Saturday 7 December 2024 11:02 , Barney Davis

The train line between Ayr and Girvan was shut after a large tree fell onto the tracks, while snow gates were closed on roads in the north-east of Scotland.

An amber wind warning is in place for parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire until 9pm on Saturday.

The Energy Networks Association reported 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power.

Scotrail said services on the line between Girvan and Ayr were disrupted by the tree on the tracks, with Network Rail sending a chainsaw team to the site.

There have been snow gate closures on the A93 and A939 roads, while the southbound A1 was restricted at Eyemouth due to a fallen tree.

CalMac also warned of possible disruptions to ferry sailings on the west coast.

More images coming in showing devastation of 90mph winds in Burnham-on-Sea

Saturday 7 December 2024 10:56 , Barney Davis

Cardiff locals count damage of Storm Darragh

Saturday 7 December 2024 10:48 , Barney Davis

A Cardiff resident described a “superb effort” from a council that cleared a tree that fell during Storm Darragh, breaking windows and damaging the wall around a property.

Stuart Cox, 64, told the PA news agency that an approximately 50ft mature tree on Cathedral Road in the Welsh capital fell into his next door neighbour’s garden in the early hours of Saturday.

“It broke one window two doors down and destroyed next door’s gate. The only damage to ours was the front wall was forced sideways, making the wall unstable and unable to shut the gate,” the accountant said.

“The council teams moved to us, after clearing other trees, around 5.30am and were all done by 8am. Superb effort.”

Latest images emerging of havoc wreaked by Storm Darragh

Saturday 7 December 2024 10:27 , Barney Davis

Train cancellations across the Great Western Railway network

Saturday 7 December 2024 10:15 , Barney Davis

Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, has been at London Paddington station since early today.

He reports: “Here at London Paddington, things have taken a turn for the worse since I got here at 6am. Many Great Western Railway lines are closed including Cardiff to Swansea and on to Carmarthen for the rest of the day, Plymouth to Penzance at least until lunchtime and all the GWR branch lines in Devon and Cornwall.

“Trains from Bristol are arriving up to 45 minutes late due to speed restrictions, which is triggering cancellations in the opposite direction. The train firm is now advising customers to change their plans if possible this weekend, and warning that fallen trees and other debris may also impact services.

“GWR has also issued a Do Not Travel notice for Sunday – but that is because of an expected shortage of train crew rather than bad weather. Anyone with a ticket for this weekend can use it on Monday.”

Ferries cancelled across Irish Sea and in the Western Isles of Scotland

Saturday 7 December 2024 09:45 , Simon Calder

On the Irish Sea, all sailings on P&O Ferries between Cairnryan and Larne are cancelled today.

Stena Line between Cairnryan and Belfast is cancelled until early evening. No Holyhead-Dublin or Fishguard-Rosslare ferries will operate all day on Stena Line. It’s a similar picture on Irish Ferries between Pembroke and Rosslare.

Cancellations on Caledonian MacBrayne ferries serving the Western Isles of Scotland are affecting Arran, Islay, Lewis, Mull and other islands. Many CalMac ferries are cancelled all day today.

Aborted landings at Heathrow spotted as Big Jet TV returns for Storm Darragh

Saturday 7 December 2024 09:41 , Barney Davis

Several shaky landings have been captured on camera as pilots attempt to touchdown in Heathrow amid Storm Darragh.

Big Jet TV, which regularly films livestreams from Heathrow, has captured several “go-arounds”, in which an aircraft trying to land on the runway aborts its attempt, instead flying back around the airport for another attempt.

Jerry Dyer, who runs the channel, has been frequently heard shouting “bosh” as the aircraft touch down, praising the pilots’ skills.

Trees sent crashing down in high winds in Somerset

Saturday 7 December 2024 09:23 , Barney Davis

Huge trees were sent crashing on top of houses in Burnham-on-Sea as residents woke up to observe the damage wreaked by Storm Darragh overnight.

Trees fell on Rectory Road in the coastal town as the National Grid says around 4,684 people have lost power in Somerset.

Nearly 110mph winds expected on summit of Mount Snowden

Saturday 7 December 2024 09:10 , Barney Davis

Mountain climbers may want to take the day off with wind speeds of nearly 110mph expected on the top of Mount Snowdon.

The Met Office predicts 105mph into the evening on the Snowdon Summit as the UK braces for the impact of Storm Darragh.

Gusts of 93mph have already been recorded overnight in Capel Curig in North Wales, with 92mph in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula.

Winds in other parts of Wales topped 80mph, while gusts of up to 77mph were recorded in Northern Ireland and south-west England, the forecaster said.

Storm chasers document destruction across Devon

Saturday 7 December 2024 09:00 , Barney Davis

UK weather chasers have filmed themselves driving in dangerous conditions as trees fall down and huge waves crash into coastal areas across the south west.

The Met Office issued the red weather warning – the most serious type – on Friday for wind, meaning dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe.

The warning, which has led to the cancellation of events including Christmas attractions, is in place from 3am to 11am on Saturday.

The Met Office warned of “damaging winds” with gusts of 90mph possible over the coasts and hills of West and South Wales.

Forecasters say the strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning.

The Merseyside derby is off due to the impact of Storm Darragh

Saturday 7 December 2024 08:50 , Barney Davis

Saturday’s Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park has been postponed.

Merseyside Police have warned against any non-essential travel in the region on Saturday, with an amber weather alert in place.

Power knocked out for thousands as Storm Darragh strikes

Saturday 7 December 2024 08:40 , Barney Davis

Thousands of people across Northern Ireland, England and Wales were left without power as they braced for the storm’s impact.

As of 5am, National Grid reported more than 12,600 premises had lost power in the Midlands and south-west and more than 20,000 homes had been disconnected in Wales.

A note on the Northern Ireland Electricity Network’s website said the authority was unable to provide estimated restoration times.

“Due to the number of faults we are currently experiencing on the network, we are unable to provide an estimated restoration time for your electricity supply at this time,” it read.

“We are working to restore supplies as quickly and safely as possible.”