Police issue ‘stay safe’ warning as gales and rain batter Britain
Swathes of the country were covered by a yellow weather warning as police urged festive revellers to stay safe on the roads.
High tides and huge gusts sent waves over flood defences in Devon and Cornwall.
Cornish police issued a warning to partygoers to take care in the foul weather.
An officer said: “You must think about whether the risk is worth it.
“Going to a party sounds attractive but it’s not so good if you end up stranded on a flooded road or in hospital if you’re involved in a crash.”
His advice came after a six-car pile-up closed the busy A38 in Devon and the Environment Agency issued a flood alert for the River Torridge.
The Met Office put out yellow weather warnings for northern Britain, where Blackpool was hit by huge waves and planes had bumpy landings at Leeds Bradford Airport.
The forecasters also predicted “widespread gales” across the country and said the storm would hit Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Inland blasts of 50 to 60mph were said to be “likely quite widely, with gusts of 70 to 80mph in exposed locations across north-west Scotland”.
Weather watchers said heavy rain “may be an additional hazard across parts of northern and western Scotland”.
Chaos was also predicted on the transport network last night, with road and rail links both expected to be adversely affected.