Heart-stopping moment Brit narrowly dodges falling slab by INCHES as millions warned ‘stay inside’ in Storm Eowyn chaos
THIS is the shocking moment a slab lands just inches away from a man’s head as Brits are warned to “stay inside”.
CCTV footage shows a resident go into his garden, in Andersontown, Belfast, to try and secure his trampoline amid Storm Eowyn chaos.
In a split-second, a large tile appears to fall from the roof and smash just in front of the young man.
He shields his face and head with his arms in fear as it comes crashing down.
The Belfast local looks up in bewilderment and rushes back inside, with his hands still up for protection.
It comes as the top wind gusts recorded in the UK today have hit 96mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.
Shocking pictures revealed a roof was blown off in its entirety in Amble, Northumberland.
These fierce gales were closely followed by 93mph at Aberdaron in Wales and 92mph at Killowen in Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, Mace Head in the Republic of Ireland saw winds of 114mph.
The Met Office has now issued a third rare red weather warning as Storm Eowyn rages on in the UK today.
They cover Northern Ireland, Scotland and now the Isle of Man.
It is the first red warning issued in the Isle of Man for seven years, and as a result Ronaldsway Airport says it will remain closed.
Even the Upcoming Strictly Come Dancing live show in Glasgow has been postponed due to Storm Eowyn forcing people to stay indoors.
Strictly judge Revel Horwood said Friday’s live performance of the hit dancing show had been cancelled and rescheduled for Sunday evening.
Elsewhere, a tornado warning came into force between Bristol and London, according to the European Storm Forecast Experiment.
And residents in Cornwall have already experienced a small twister which left house roofs torn off and walls collapsed this morning.
More than a thousand flights have been cancelled and millions told to “stay at home” while 20,000 Scottish Power customers are without electricity.
Analysis of flight tracking website Cirium said 1,070 UK flights have been scrapped.
The latest storm information can be found in The Sun’s blog updates throughout the day.
Rail and ferry services have also been axed, while road users were warned by the AA not to travel earlier today.
Around 4.5 million people in affected areas received an emergency alert on their phones on Thursday from RAC Breakdown in what has been the “largest real life use of the tool to date”.
This comes as all schools in Northern Ireland have been closed today, as the First Minister urged everyone to “stay safe”.
A full list of schools staying shut today in Scotland and Wales has been complied.
It comes as…
- At least 1,070 flights have been axed at airports in Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow due to the severe conditions
- A top speed of 96mph has been recorded today at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland
- 93,000 homes and business in Northern Ireland have suffered power cuts
- Train operator ScotRail suspended all services across Scotland today
- A GMB reporter was battered by Storm Eowyn gales live on air
Calmac Ferries on Scotland’s west coast and Steam Packet Ferries between Heysham and the Isle of Man both announced Friday’s planned sailings had been cancelled.
A number of train companies including Avanti West Coast, Lumo, CrossCountry and Grand Central have also told customers not to travel on routes across parts of north Wales, Scotland and northern England with no services running.
Meanwhile ScotRail has said there will be no trains in Scotland until at least midday on Saturday.
Passengers and motorists in areas covered by red and amber weather warnings have been told to avoid travel “unless absolutely essential”.
Cancelled flights across UK today
Aviation analytics company Cirium said 1,070 flights scheduled to operate to/from airports in the UK or Ireland on Friday have been cancelled.
That is equivalent to 20% of all flights.
The worst affected airports in terms of the number of cancellations are:
– Dublin (119 departures, 109 arrivals)
– Edinburgh (81 departures, 77 arrivals)
– Heathrow (50 departures, 58 arrivals)
– Glasgow (43 departures, 42 arrivals)
National Highways said the A66 between the A1M in North Yorkshire and M6 in Cumbria, as well as the A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, were both closed overnight due to strong winds.
Further south, the M48 Severn Bridge was closed due to strong winds, while the Tamar Bridge on the A38 between Devon and Cornwall was closed to high-sided vehicles until 5am.
Avon and Somerset reported a number of local roads had been blocked due to fallen trees, advising motorists to “take care when travelling”.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland described the storm as an “exceptional weather event” and said it was expected to bring the strongest winds seen in the country since 1998.
Red warnings for wind have been issued by the Met Office in Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday, and for western and central areas of Scotland between 10am and 5pm.
Gusts of 80 to 90mph are expected widely inland in the warning areas, with speeds of up to 100mph likely along coasts, the forecaster said.
Amber wind warnings are also in place for Northern Ireland, the southern half of Scotland, northern England and north Wales between 6am and 9pm on Friday, and the northern half of Scotland from 1pm on Friday to 6am on Saturday.
Winds reaching 60 to 70mph will be widespread in these warning areas.
There is a yellow wind warning covering most of the UK for the entirety of Friday.
And smaller yellow warnings for snow in Scotland from 6am to midnight, and rain in south-west England and Wales until 9am.