Second person killed in Storm Darragh after tree falls on car

A second person has died in Storm Darragh after a man was killed by a tree falling onto his car.

The storm brought gusts of 93mph to some parts of the country, with millions warned to stay indoors, tens of thousands left without power and trains cancelled.

West Midlands Police said 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.

It came after a 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.

Detective Sergeant 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.”

The fourth named storm of the season also left hundreds of thousands of homes without power, led to train and flight cancellations and caused all of London’s royal parks to close their gates.

A rare “risk to life and limb” warning came into effect in parts of Wales and the South West on Friday night while a less severe amber warning was in place across much of Britain on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dyfed-Powys Police declared a major incident in the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys, allowing officers to receive more resources to cope with the impact of the storm.

All train services west of Cardiff were suspended on Saturday after fallen trees blocked the line overnight and in Northern Ireland the entire rail network ground to a halt.

An emergency alert telling people to “stay indoors” buzzed on three million mobile phones on Friday evening.

Forecasters said strong winds brought in by Storm Darragh would ease on Sunday, but might still cause disruption.

The Energy Networks Association said 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power, adding that around 768,000 customers had been reconnected on Saturday.

Winter Wonderland, an annual Christmas funfair held in Hyde Park, was closed and Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire also had to shut its doors.

The storm forced hundreds of businesses across western coastal regions to close, with several suffering extensive damage.

Paul Williams, general manager of Llandudno Pier in North Wales, said it may cost £250,000 to repair the damage the storm 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 café down the end as well.”

Small businesses near the Bristol Channel reported that tiles had been blown off their buildings.

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

The sporting calendar was also hit, with the Everton-Liverpool Premier League derby at Goodison Park postponed as a result of the severe weather.

Championship League games between Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United and Cardiff City and Watford were called off, with some League One and League Two matches also cancelled.

Chepstow and Aintree racehorse meetings were also abandoned.

06:03 PM GMT

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05:58 PM GMT

Pictured: Storm Darragh hits Wales

05:32 PM GMT

Storm ‘sounds so much worse’ in a marina

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 Press Association 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 follow 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.

Mr Coll was kept awake for most of the night by the howling winds.

“At maybe 11pm I tried to go to bed and by that point, the storm hadn’t really come, it was maybe 30mph winds, and then it started progressively getting worse,” he said.

“I probably had about an hour and a half of sleep and I think I might have just dozed off around like 5am, and then my grandad decided to call me at 6am to make sure I was OK.”

05:30 PM GMT

Today’s windy weather

The strongest gust recorded was 96mph at Berry Head in Devon, according to the Met Office.

Capel Curig in Conwy, Wales, recorded 93 mph, with 92mph in Aberaeron in west Wales.

05:12 PM GMT

‘If the roof comes off, God knows where it will land’

A restaurant manager in Somerset said he was “worried” for people’s safety after Storm Darragh caused the roof of a nearby building to partly detach.

Part of Knightstone Road in Weston Super Mare was closed to pedestrians and traffic after pieces of an RNLI station were left flapping around in the strong winds.

Jimi, 33, who was working in the Il Michelangelo restaurant situated on the road, said: “If [the roof] does come off, God knows where it’s going to land. Hopefully it rips off smoothly and goes on the floor without causing any damage to anybody. We are worried for people more (than the restaurant).”

A number of local businesses on the Weston Super Mare parade were closed on Saturday while others had signs in their windows stating they would open in the evening.

04:48 PM GMT

Met Office: Winds easing in the north

The Met Office’s latest update says that winds have eased across Northern Ireland, southwest Scotland and in parts of northwest England.

It added however that an amber warning remained in pace for much of Wales, southwest England, Merseyside and Cheshire, where strong winds continue.

Amber warnings are issued when there is the possibility of low level impacts like travel delays, but also a potential of risk to life and property.

04:33 PM GMT

Historic Welsh pier ‘may cost £250,000 to repair’

Paul Williams, general manager of Llandudno Pier in North Wales, fears 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.”

““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.”

04:03 PM GMT

Watch: Fallen tree crushes car and blocks road in Liverpool

An amber weather warning was issued for Liverpool and the surrounding areas, with gusts of 70mph recorded. Buildings were damaged and several trees were blown over by the gales, including one in Greenbank Road that landed on a car.

03:01 PM GMT

Met Office issues yellow wind warning for Sunday

The Met Office has issued a further yellow wind warning to cover all of England, Northern Ireland and Wales on Sunday from 6am to 6pm.

It said strong winds brought in by Storm Darragh will continue to ease on Sunday, but may still cause disruption.

There is currently an amber warning for wind covering Northern Ireland and parts of western Wales, England and Scotland that is due to expire at 9pm on Saturday.

Yellow is the lowest weather warning issued by the Met Office. Is is issued when weather is likely to cause low level impacts such as travel disruption.

Amber warnings are issued when there is the possibility of low level impacts like travel delays, but also a potential risk to life and property.

02:43 PM GMT

Businesses on Somerset coast describe storm chaos

Eleanor Sedgwick, 23, a waitress at a seafront cafe in Clevedon called Scarlett’s, said it did not open on Saturday morning because it was “too big of a risk”.

“The years that I’ve worked here, I’ve never had to close because of the weather, apart from when it snowed,” said Ms Sedgwick.

Four tiles fell off the roof of her cafe but she felt the business “got off quite lucky”, adding that she was “glad 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.

02:33 PM GMT

Major incident declared in Wales

A major incident has been declared in parts of Wales because of disruption caused by gales and heavy rain brought by Storm Darragh.

Winds of up to 93mph were recorded overnight in northern parts of the country, and police said they had experienced high volumes of calls about fallen trees and poor driving conditions.

Superintendent Chris Neve of Dyfed-Powys Police declared a major incident for the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys, which means the force will receive more resources.

He said: “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.”

01:38 PM GMT

Stop the War & CND protest cancelled due to storm

A protest calling for peace in Ukraine due to take place outside Downing Street on Saturday was cancelled due to bad weather brought by Storm Darragh

Billed as an “emergency day of action”, the march was organised by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

01:15 PM GMT

Royal parks and safari park close

The eight Royal parks of London were closed on Saturday due to Storm Darragh hitting the capital.

The decision means that Winter Wonderland, an annual Christmas funfair held in Hyde Park, will also not be open.

Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire also hat to shut its doors on Saturday. It said it was hoping to reopen on Sunday, but this would depend on the weather forecast and the extend of any damage caused by the storm.

12:29 PM GMT

Pictured: Surfer rides waves in Wales amid storm

A surfer rides a wave off the coast of Broad Haven South in Pembrokeshire, Wales, as strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Darragh battered the country.

11:55 AM GMT

Pictured: Trees blown over in Liverpool and Somerset

Winds of up to 75mph were recorded in the town of Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, where a large tree was blown over on Oxford Street. Local media reported that there were no injuries, but that residents in the affected building were evacuated as a precaution.

An amber weather warning was issued for Liverpool and the surrounding areas, with gusts of 70mph recorded. Buildings were damaged and several trees were blown over by the gales, including one in Greenbank Road that landed on a car.

11:43 AM GMT

NHS treatment centres closed amid storm

A number of NHS treatment centres in south-west England were closed amid bad weather caused by Storm Darragh.

Healther Together, the integrated care system (ICS) for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, said Yate and Clevedon Minor Injuries Units were closed until 11.30am on Saturday.

It said Hengrove Urgent Treatment Centre was open but with a reduced service.

The ICS did not give a reason for the closures.

11:13 AM GMT

Cardiff man describes ‘superb’ council clean-up effort

A Cardiff resident described a “superb” effort from a local council that cleared a 50ft tree that fell into his neighbour’s garden early on Saturday.

Stuart Cox, 64, said the tree damaged homes on Cathedral Road in the Welsh capital, breaking windows and destroying a gate as it was blown over by gales from Storm Darragh.

“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.”

11:02 AM GMT

Watch: Tree lands on Porsche in Cardiff

A tree has fallen on a Porsche sports car in Cardiff as gales from Storm Darragh batter the United Kingdom.

The stump appears to have at least partially caved-in the vehichle’s roof and caused damage to the windscreen.

X / @Jamiehuwroberts

10:59 AM GMT

400,000 without power in Ireland

Almost 400,000 homes, farms and businesses in Ireland were left without power after the country was hit with heavy rain and strong winds caused by Storm Darragh.

A spokesman from Ireland’s ESB electricity company said teams had mobilised on Saturday to assess damage, make the network safe and restore electricity supply where it was safe to do so.

“Given the extent of the storm, estimated restoration times will be updated throughout the day as fault sites are assessed and restoration work progresses,” the spokesman added.

“Further power outages can be expected from potentially damaging gusts.”

X / @FergusMaSuibhne

10:46 AM GMT

Pictured: Tree fallen across a house in Somerset

10:44 AM GMT

Closures and disruption across motorways and major A roads

National Highways has released an update on the impact of Storm Darragh to motorways and major A roads across the UK.

The QE11 Bridge at the Dartford Crossing is closed, with traffic being diverted through the Crossing’s bore tunnels. Vehiches taller than 15ft 9in are being redirected round the M25.

Both River Severn bridge crossings between England and Wales are closed.

The A66 is closed between Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire and Augill Beck in Cumbria.

The A34 is closed between junction 9, near Winchester, and the junction with the A272 at Three Maids Hill. The closure is expected to remain in place throughout the weekend.

The A5 remains closed in Shropshire

The road between the B5070 (Gledrid) and the A483 (Halton) was closed at around 4.30am due to high winds, particularly around the exposed Ceiriog viaduct.

10:30 AM GMT

Pictured: Bus crashes into building in Northern Ireland

10:27 AM GMT

Bristol Rovers v Bolton Wanderers called off

Saturday’s League One clash between Bristol Rovers and Bolton Wanderers has been called off, with the home club saying the effects of Storm Darragh brought a “significant risk to safety”.

“In consultation and agreement with the EFL, local safety advisory group and Bolton Wanderers FC, today’s game has been postponed for safety reasons,” Britsol Rovers said in a statement.

“A new date for the rearranged fixture will be confirmed in due course,” the club added.

Championship matches featuring Cardiff v Watford and Plymouth v Oxford were cancelled on Friday, as was the League Two clash between Newport and Carlisle.

The 245th Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool was also called off on Saturday because of “the risk to safety ... due to strong wind gusts”.

10:08 AM GMT

Pictured: Advertising post blown over in central London

09:56 AM GMT

Met Office: Storm at peak, but higher wind speeds possible

Storm Darragh was at its peak at 7am on Saturday morning when gusts topping 90mph were recorded in north Wales, the Met Office said, while warning that higher wind speeds were possible later.

Gusts of up to 93mph were recorded in Capel Curig, 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 centre of the storm, where winds are calmer, was across north-east England.

09:45 AM GMT

86,000 homes without power

The Energy Networks Association said 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales are without power after strong winds from Storm Darragh battered the United Kingdom.

Around 385,000 customers were reconnected overnight, a spokesman said, adding that more than 1,000 engineers were ready to be deployed on Saturday.

09:40 AM GMT

Pictured: Tree blocks railway line in Cheshire

Liverpool Lime Street station has said its on call teams have removed a tree that was blown onto the line at Widnes, Cheshire.

“We’re ready to respond to anything #StormDarragh throws at us,” the station added.

09:32 AM GMT

93mph wind gust recorded in north Wales

A 93mph wind gust was recorded at Capel Curig in north Wales in the last hour.

Wind speeds over 90mph have been recorded on Saturday across north and western wales, where a red wind warning is in effect until 11am.

Across eastern Wales, south west England and the Midlands, gusts are reaching speeds of between 50-70mph.

09:24 AM GMT

QEII Bridge at Dartford Crossing closed

The QEII Bridge at the Dartford Crossing over the River Thames has been closed due to strong winds from Storm Darragh.

Traffic is being diverted through the Crossing’s bore tunnels.

Southbound traffic on the A282 is being diverted through the east tunnel, while northbound vehicles on the west tunnel have a height restriction of 15ft 9 inches.

Vehicles over this height must seek an different route on the M25, National Highways said.

“You may wish to re-route or even delay your journey,” it added.

09:05 AM GMT

Merseyside derby postponed

The final league Merseyside derby at Goodison Park has been postponed because of Storm Darragh after high winds battered most of the UK on Saturday, Chris Bascombe writes.

Everton took the decision shortly after 8.30pm following advice from Liverpool City Council’s Ground Safety Advisory Group.

You can read more here.

09:02 AM GMT

Roads closed across Devon and Cornwall

Roads across Devon and Cornwall have been closed due to fallen trees and power cables.

The A399 in Devon is closed in both directions due to a fallen tree from the A361 at Aller Cross, South Molton to Rockshead Hill.

The A377 at Northcote Manor in Devon is closed in both directions blocked due to fallen tree at The Portsmouth Arms Hotel and cottages.

Station Road in Bulge, Cornwall, is closed in both directions closed due to fallen power cables from the A391 Saint Austell Road to The Sidings.

09:00 AM GMT

Rail services in Devon disrupted

Trains running between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple have been cancelled because all lines are blocked, Great Western Railway has said.

Disruption is expected to continue throughout Saturday, it added.

08:55 AM GMT

Dover-Calais ferry services cancelled

Some ferries between Dover and Calais have been cancelled as Storm Darragh hits the English Channel.

DFDS seaways, which operates a Dover-Calais route, said that ferries travelling from Dover at 00.35am, 07.40am, 12.55pm and 18.10pm on Saturday had been cancelled.

Ferries travelling from Calais to Dover at 06.05am, 11.20am and 16:35pm on Saturday were also cancelled, it added.

All passengers were being contacted, the ferry service said.

08:48 AM GMT

M4 Prince of Wales bridge closed

The main motorway connecting England to south wales has been closed in several places because of Storm Darragh.

The Prince of Wales bridge over the River Severn, which links Bristol to Monmouthshire, has been shut.

The M4 is also closed eastbound at Newport and in both directions at Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend.

08:44 AM GMT

Stay inside and don’t put yourself at risk, says Business Secretary

The Business Secretary has advised people to “stay inside, don’t put yourself at risk, and just follow the advice at all times”.

Jonathan Reynolds said National Grid was responding to the 20,000 homes without power in Wales, adding that staff “will be on standby for any further challenges throughout the rest of the day”.

“About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice,” Mr Reynolds said.

08:39 AM GMT

Pictured: People face extremely wet and windy weather on Westminster Bridge

08:36 AM GMT

Rail situation worsening at Bristol Temple Meads

Disruptions to rail travel services at Bristol Temple Meads have increased, with services to London, Edinburgh, Portsmouth and Cardiff all showing delayed or cancelled.

Great Western Railway - which operates railways across south-west England - has urged passengers to rearrange their travel plans for the weekend.

Passengers arriving at the railway station said local buses had been cancelled and some roads are blocked.

08:27 AM GMT

Cardiff airport runway closed

Cardiff Airport has closed its only between 3am and 11am - the duration of the Met Office’s red warning

A note on their website reads: “Passengers due to fly this weekend are advised to contact their airline or tour operator, as we do anticipate some disruption.”

08:25 AM GMT

31 flights in and out of Belfast City Airport cancelled

A total of 31 flights into and out of Belfast City Aiport have been cancelled due to the effects of Storm Darragh.

Destinations impacted include Heathrow, Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Amsterdam.

A number of ferries due to sail from Belfast to Cairnryan in Scotland on Saturday have been cancelled.

The Liverpool-Belfast ferry route has been suspended.

08:01 AM GMT

More than 190 flood warnings in place

More than 190 flood alerts are in place as Storm Darragh makes its way across Britain.

The Environment Agency has also issued 11 flood warnings where the Environment Agency says flooding is expected in England, mainly across the south west.

Meanwhile three such warnings are in place across Wales and two in Scotland

Check for flooding in England - GOV.UK

07:52 AM GMT

Rare red weather warning issued

07:48 AM GMT

Government issues risk to life alert

Millions have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power and trains have been cancelled as the Government’s “risk to life” alert brought on by Storm Darragh came into force.

The emergency alert came into effect at 1am on Saturday for people covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England.

It was the largest use of the warning system yet, with the alert urging residents to avoid driving and to “stay indoors if you can”.

07:46 AM GMT

Thousands left without power

Thousands of people across Northern Ireland, England and Wales have been 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.”