New year celebrations cancelled by tornado
Weather forces fireworks displays to be abandoned as swathes of Britain are battered by strong winds
‘We heard enormous creaking and cracking sound of falling trees and one oak split in half ’
NEW Year’s Eve celebrations were cancelled on safety grounds after parts of Britain were battered by strong winds, including an apparent tornado.
Fireworks displays planned to usher in 2024 were ditched yesterday afternoon as gusts of more than 70mph were recorded on the south coast along with heavy showers.
Plymouth became the first city to cancel its showpiece event, Winter Wonderland in Central Park, as organisers told ticket holders “your safety comes first, as well as ours, and we can’t possibly take the risk”.
Residents in Barnstaple, Devon, were also told celebrations had been called off because of safety fears prompted by the “horrendous” weather.
In neighbouring Cornwall, Truro City Council announced its fireworks display had been scrapped amid predictions that 75mph winds could buffet the region.
On Saturday, a tornado was recorded in Devon and residents in one village told how they heard the sound of falling trees, including one 150-year-old oak that had “split in half ”.
Simon West, who lives in Tipton St John, said: “It was extremely strong wind. We heard the enormous creaking and cracking sound of the tree falling apart, followed by taking out all of our electricity. I understand quite a few have come down... it’s quite devastating when we lose trees like that.”
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) said yesterday: “Whilst the maximum intensity is still being assessed TORRO can confirm that Venn Ottery & Tipton St John were hit by a tornado.”
The latest bout of severe weather came as rail passengers braced for heavy disruption with 12 out of 19 operators deciding not to provide additional services for travellers.
Thameslink told passengers online they should “expect major disruption during the afternoon and evening” of New Year’s Eve with chaos expected to last until 5am on Jan 1.
The last trains out of stations such as London St Pancras and London Bridge to some destinations are as early as 9.30pm.
Eurostar passengers are facing crowded services after 30,000 people were left stranded when flooding halted all trains between London, Amsterdam and Paris on Saturday.
Northern Trains issued a “do not travel” notice for New Year’s Eve on links from Manchester Victoria to Chester and Stalybridge, from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester via Altrincham and some routes out of Preston and Bolton, where there will be no trains at all because of crew shortages. LNER cancelled more than 20 trains on New Year’s Eve. There will be none of the usual festive overnight services.
Those trying to reach London airports on New Year’s Eve and early on New Year’s Day are also likely to struggle, with the Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted express routes not providing any additional trains.
Some 41 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 177 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, have been issued across large swathes of England which are already suffering from the after-effects of Storm Gerrit.
Drivers have been warned to expect disruption.
Rod Dennis, from the RAC, said that they should “reduce their speeds, especially on exposed and upland roads, and to always keep a firm hold of the steering wheel to avoid getting buffeted off course by the gusty winds”.