A man in his 40s has died after a tree fell onto his van as he was driving on a dual carriageway during Storm Darragh.
The man was driving his Citroen van on the A59 at Longton when the tree fell on to his vehicle causing serious injuries, Lancashire Police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, a “major incident” was declared in parts of Wales after police received a high volume of calls about fallen trees and poor driving conditions caused by the storm.
Superintendent Chris Neve of Dyfed-Powys Police 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.”
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We are wrapping up the blog for the day
Thanks very much for reading, here is a quick recap of today’s main events:
- Over 177,000 were left without power, according to the Energy Networks Association
- A van driver died after a tree fell on his van on a dual carriageway
- A “major incident” was declared in parts of Wales
- Winds reaching up to 96mph battered parts of the country
- The Met Office issued a red weather warning – the most serious type – on Friday
- Amber warnings for rain and wind were due to stay in place over the southwest of the UK until Saturday evening
- Yellow weather alerts for rain and wind were due to remain into Sunday across the majority of the country
In pictures: Storm Darragh batters UK
Emergency crews in Dublin attend numerous incidents
Meath County Council Fire & Rescue Service in Dublin has said crews have been attending numerous incidents throughout Friday night and Saturday.
The Met Office has recorded winds ranging between 79mph and 93mph in Wales, with the strongest gusts taking place in Capel Curig.
Dublin Airport said it had received a number of flights bound for other airports but diverted there as a result of the storm.
Somerset local ‘worried’ for people’s safety
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, told the PA news agency: “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.
But Jimi, who did not give his surname, said most of his bookings were looking “pretty positive” despite the nearby hazard. He said: “With the evening bookings, we have a couple of cancellations (but) a couple of other people wanted to come in at the moment, so nothing has changed.
“I have big tables confirmed. Some of them have dropped the numbers but at the moment it doesn’t seem like a crazy change.”
Storm Darragh causes £250,000 in damages to iconic pier
The owners of iconic Llandudno Pier in North Wales said it will cost £250,000 to repair the tourist attraction.
As The i Paper reported earlier today, the pier’s owner Adam Williams posted on Facebook saying: “The Pier is taking an absolute battering. As some of you are aware we have already lost some units (one being an original nearly 150 years old).”
He told the PA news agency: “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.”
Met Office records winds up to 96mph
The Met Office has recorded winds ranging between 79mph and 96mph in Wales and south-west England.
The strongest gust of 96mph was recorded in Berry Head – a coastal headland that forms the southern boundary of Tor Bay in Devon.
Almost 3,000 sewage warnings in force across England as Storm Darragh hits
Sewage has been dumped into waterways in almost 3,000 separate locations in England over the past 48 hours.
The alerts come as Storm Darragh hit Ireland and the British Isles which will likely overwhelm sewage networks across the country.
According to real-time data provided by nine of England’s water companies – and compiled by the Rivers Trust – firms discharged waste from 1,524 overflow points on Saturday morning, with a further 1,391 locations dumping sewage during the previous 48 hours at the time of writing.
United Utilities – which provides water and wastewater services for the North West – was the worst-performing firm with 36 per cent (807) of their locations dumping sewage water into rivers, lakes and the sea within the previous 48 hours.
Firms covering the west of England reported sewage dumps at 31 per cent (1,116) of their locations in the previous 48 hours, compared to 18 per cent (1,981) across the rest of the country.
Storm Darragh hit the UK on Saturday morning and will roll into Sunday, bringing heavy rain and wind gusts of more than 90mph. The Met Office issued a rare red “danger to life” warning for wind, covering much of the Welsh coast and northern Somerset and Devon.
Amber warnings for wind and rain were also issued for a larger stretch of the UK’s west coast, covering Cornwall up to southern Scotland and Northern Ireland. These are in place between 1am and 9pm on Saturday.
Read more here.
Drivers urged to take ‘extreme caution’ at night as roads blocked by trees in Wales
Drivers in Wales have been urged to take “extreme caution” while driving at night as some roads remain blocked by trees which may not be clearly visible.
North Wales Police said that disruption and severe weather from Storm Darragh is ongoing.
Supt Owain Llewellyn said: “The scale of disruption means it has been impossible to remove all fallen trees prior to nightfall.”
He added: “Warning signs may not be in place for many of these obstructions or localised flooding so please use extreme caution – avoid travelling if possible.”
In pictures: Uprooted tree damages home in coastal Somerset town
Blackpool FC postpones match
Blackpool FC confirmed their match against Rotherham United has been postponed.
Posting on X, Blackpool FC said: “After safety checks earlier this morning and in consultation with local agencies, the Club can confirm today’s match has unfortunately been postponed.”
The town’s Christmas market also closed due to safety concerns with Storm Darragh expected to bring gusts of up to 80mph in the region.
Earlier today, the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool was also cancelled.
Over 177,000 without power
The Energy Networks Association said 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales are without power.
A spokesperson said around 768,000 customers have been reconnected on Saturday, with more than 1,000 engineers ready to be deployed.
Earlier in the day the National Grid said nearly 140,000 homes had no power.
Hotel in Devon closes after roof blown off
The Barnstaple Hotel in north Devon has been forced to close after images appear to show part of the building’s roof was blown off.
“Unfortunately a large area of roof covering our accommodation building has been badly damaged by the extreme weather conditions, which has caused us to close the hotel so we can ensure our guests and staff remain safe,” the hotel told North Devon Today.
“We are in the process of informing anyone booked with us over the coming days and hope to be able to reopen at least to function & Christmas party bookings early next week, if it’s safe to do so.”
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said winds would get up to 80mph in Devon and Cornwall.
In pictures: Old Trafford Stadium ahead of Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest
Manchester United are set to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at Old Trafford, with the match set to begin at 530pm.
Fears that the clash would not take place were sparked after Storm Darragh led to a postponement of the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool four hours before kick-off.
The match had been scheduled to take place at Goodison Park in Liverpool at 1230pm.
National Grid: Nearly 140,000 premises in England and Wales without power
National Grid has restored power supplies to 676,000 homes and businesses, but nearly 140,000 still remain without power.
This marks a more than two-fold increase from the 55,000 premises that were without power on Saturday morning.
Here’s a breakdown of the regions where power outages have been reported:
- Wales: over 65,000
- South West: over 51,000
- West Midlands: over 25,000
- East Midlands: over 1,400
Historic pier ‘battered’ by Storm Darragh
The iconic pier in Llandudno is “taking an absolute battering” in Storm Darragh, with fears the structure may not survive.
Images taken from cameras on the pier – which dates back to 1878 – show one of the original units has been ripped off in today’s high winds.
In a post on the pier’s Facebook page, owner Adam Williams said: “The Pier is taking an absolute battering. As some of you are aware we have already lost some units (one being an original nearly 150 years old).”
The tide is still coming in and owner Mr Williams fears the pier may not survive.
“I’ve never seen the swell so big,” he told the Daily Post.
“The buildings are the bit I’m worried about, if the sea comes over the pier.”
Historic pier ‘battered’ by Storm Darragh
The iconic pier in Llandudno is “taking an absolute battering” in Storm Darragh, with fears the structure may not survive.
Images taken from cameras on the pier – which dates back to 1878 – show one of the original units has been ripped off in today’s high winds.
In a post on the pier’s Facebook page, owner Adam Williams said: “The Pier is taking an absolute battering. As some of you are aware we have already lost some units (one being an original nearly 150 years old).”
The tide is still coming in and owner Mr Williams fears the pier may not survive.
“I’ve never seen the swell so big,” he told the Daily Post.
“The buildings are the bit I’m worried about, if the sea comes over the pier.”
Recap: What travel disruptions has Storm Darragh caused so far?
Storm Darragh has sparked travel disruption across the country, with flights, bus and rail services cancelled or delayed as strong winds and rain batter the UK.
Air traffic control provider Nats has said temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at Heathrow and Gatwick due to the storm.
Cardiff Airport closed its runway until 1pm, causing signficant delays and cancellations.
A flight from Abu Dhabi to Manchester has been diverted to Frankfurt, Germany, while delays and cancellations also took place at Bristol Airport.
CrossCountry and Great Western Railway both warned people against travel, with a number of services cancelled on Saturday.
Avanti West Coast has suspended services between Holyhead and Chester. Disruption has also been reported around Wolverhampton.
Transport for Wales has suspended a number of routes and is warning of significant disruption. Northern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express are also among those reporting disruption
Railway and ferry services in Scotland were disrupted through Saturday morning and afternoon, while snow gates were also closed on roads in the northeast of the country.
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. The southbound A1 was restricted at Eyemouth due to a fallen tree.
Police declares major incident in Wales
A major incident has been declared in parts of Wales after disruption caused by Storm Darragh.
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.”
What weather warnings are in place?
The Met Office has issued amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain covering most of the UK for Saturday and Sunday.
A yellow warning for wind covers most of the country and will last until 6am on Sunday.
“Strong winds associated with Storm Darragh” are likely to spark power cuts and damage buildings, while fallen trees may lead to road and bridge closures, the Met Office warned.
A further yellow wind warning is in place in North East England, south-west Scotland and Yorkshire, lasting till 9am tomorrow.
A yellow warning for rain is also in place until 10pm in Scotland, covering Central, Tayside, Fife, Grampian, the Borders, the Highlands and Eilean Siarand. That warning lasts until 10pm on Saturday.
An amber weather warning for rain has been issued in Wales till 6pm on Saturday, while a further amber warning for wind is in place in North West England, Northern Ireland, south-west Scotland, South West England, Wales and Northern Ireland, lasting until 9pm today.
‘Be prepared for flooding’, warns Natural Resources Wales
Natural Resources Wales has urged “people to remain vigilant” and “be prepared for flooding” as Storm Darragh batters the country.
Duty tactical manager Becky Favager said: “As the impacts of Storm Darragh are being felt across the country, we’re asking people to remain vigilant this weekend and be prepared for flooding.
“Following recent heavy rain during Storm Bert, and further rainfall this week, the ground is saturated and river levels are responding quickly.
“As a result, we currently have a large number of flood warnings and flood alerts in place across Wales. Some of the larger rivers in mid and south east Wales, such as the Severn and the Wye, will respond more slowly but we are continuing to keep a close eye on river levels in these areas.
“In preparation for Storm Darragh, our officers have been out and about in communities, preparing our woodlands and checking and making repairs to any flood defences impacted by Storm Bert.
“People living in flood risk areas are advised to consider what action they may need to take during a flood. Information on how to register to receive flood warnings, and how to prepare for a flood is available on our website, or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.”