AT COAST AS VICIOUS GALES BATTER BRITAIN
PEOPLE were last night urged to stay away from Britain’s coastline as killer Storm Erik batters the nation.
Emergency services fear lives could be lost as huge waves are whipped up by the ferocious gales.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has said anyone tempted to see the giant waves close up, or even take selfies, should keep well back.
Winds of about 80mph are expected to batter the country in some areas and have already killed a man in his 50s whose car was hit by a falling tree in Devon.
Surges
About 200 people are killed each year around the British and Irish coasts, with half the deaths being caused by people slipping into the water.
Guy Addington, community safety partner for the RNLI, said: “Storm Erik is the next of the storms to be heading our way and is set to bring dangerous sea conditions.
“We are repeating our advice to people tempted to watch the stormy conditions unfold to stay back, stay high and stay dry. People need to be aware that the coastline will be exceptionally treacherous on Saturday in particular.”
He added: “The large swell will mean that areas normally accessible at low tide may be cut off by storm surges.
“Sea walls and harbour areas may become inundated with large waves.”
Paramedics were called to Totnes, Devon, when a tree collapsed on an Alfa Romeo and another vehicle on the A384 near Buckfastleigh, Devon.
A man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the scene while a woman in her 20s was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “The road is expected to be closed for the majority of the day due to the complexity of the recovery operation and for police to carry out an examination of the scene.”
Meanwhile passengers on a doubledecker bus had a narrow escape when high winds brought down a 40ft tree in Poole, Dorset.
Its trunk tore through the windscreen, crushing seats at the front of the vehicle.
All five passengers on board had been sitting on the lower deck at the time.