Hector wreaks havoc as storms lash UK
STRONG winds battered Britain yesterday as Storm Hector roared across the country.
Resorts such as Blackpool were lashed by high waves while torrential rain brought chaos to northern England and Scotland.
In Edinburgh, a woman in her 40s was hit by a tile yesterday and taken to the city’s Royal Infirmary, where she was being treated last night.
Fallen trees caused widespread travel problems and ScotRail said “chainsaw gangs” and overhead line teams were removing debris.
A yellow “be aware” weather warning was issued for Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.
Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Stirling, Perth, Partick and North Lanarkshire were hit by atrocious conditions while in England police closed the Tees flyover to high-sided vehicles and the Shields Ferry across the Tyne was not operating.
A 74mph gust in Orlock Head broke June’s wind-speed record in Northern Ireland, the Met Office said. The storm brought more than three inches of heavy rain to parts of Cumbria and over five inches on the Isle of Skye. The Tay Bridge was closed to traffic and the Forth Road Bridge shut to double-decker buses.
An outdoor Mass at Falkirk Stadium to mark 100 years of Catholic education in Scotland was cancelled because of the weather. But the wind did boost Britain’s electricity supply, with official figures showing that in the 30 minutes before 10am yesterday, 34.5 per cent of Britain’s electricity came from wind – far higher than the six per cent recorded on previous, calmer days.
A much weaker weather front is due to follow after Hector passes into the North Sea. Tomorrow’s outlook is similar with possible thunderstorms, while Sunday is expected to be better with hazy sunshine.
The Met Office’s Aidan McGivern said: “The wettest weather will be out of the way but there will be some blustery showers. Further spells of rain will push into Scotland through the night before clearer skies open out by the start of Friday.”