UK battered by 100mph winds as Storm Arwen leaves at least one dead
Britain felt the full force of Storm Arwen with gusts of almost 100 miles per hour battering parts of the country.
A dad-of-four was killed in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, as a tree was toppled by high winds and fell on his car.
Buildings were left damaged across the country, with gusts hitting a high of 98mph in Brizlee Wood, Northumberland.
The storm was so concerning that the Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for coastal areas in the North East.
While that warning expired early this morning, amber and yellow warnings for wind remain in place across the country.
Storm Arwen’s first victim has since been named as headteacher Francis Lagan, who was thought to be in his 40s.
He is understood to have been travelling with his wife and children when the tree struck his vehicle.
Paying tribute on Facebook, local sports club Watty Graham, An Gleann, said: ‘A great club man, coach, principal, colleague, mentor, friend but more importantly a fantastic son, brother, husband and daddy.
‘We as a club and community will stand strong with the Lagan family in the days, weeks and months ahead.’
Wind speeds reached 87mph in Orlock Head, County Down, 78mph in Inverbervie, north-east Scotland and 77mph in Aberporth, Wales.
Roads were closed by fallen debris in the worst-hit parts of Scotland, while LNER train services north of Newcastle were also ground to a halt, with high winds, heavy rain and snowfall arriving from Friday afternoon.
The Met Office warned the north-east of England, north-west of England, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the East Midlands will experience cold weather until Monday.
Last night’s rugby union Premiership game between Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors was postponed until Saturday evening due to safety concerns.
And in North Wales, ITV was forced to pre-record Friday night’s live episode of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! amid concerns, including that poor weather would interfere with the broadcast around Gwrych Castle.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said it had been dealing with a ‘large’ number of incidents late on Friday ’caused by the current weather conditions including many fallen trees and roofs being blown off structures’.
Meanwhile ScotRail services were disrupted between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street, Dunblane and Stirling after a barn was blown onto the line close to Polmont, near Falkirk.
The Met Office described the conditions as ‘horrendous’ and people also reported power cuts.
Northern Powergrid said severe gales had caused power cuts for more than 55,000 customers, mainly in the Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear areas.
Footage showed howling winds whipping up the North Sea in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, and snowfall elsewhere, including in Redcar, Yorkshire, and Whitley Bay, Northumberland.
North West Motorway Police said around 120 lorries were ‘stuck in the snow’ on the M62 at junctions 21 and 22 and urged motorists to avoid the area.
Tweeting pictures of the motorway blanketed in white, they said snow ploughs had been deployed.
A Met Office statement said: ‘People should stay away from the coast as waves and debris are a danger to life.’
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