Three killed by falling trees as 100mph storm batters country
THREE men were killed by falling trees as Storm Arwen saw winds of almost 100mph hit the country.
The Met Office issued a rare red weather alert for parts of the UK, warning of “risk to life”, as wind speeds reached more than 90mph in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Emergency services were called to Ambleside in Cumbria at about 11pm on Friday after reports of a tree falling on a man. Police said that the victim, who was from Lancaster, died at the scene. Another man was killed when a tree struck his car in Co Antrim, and a 35-year-old man died in Aberdeenshire when his pick-up truck was struck by a falling tree on Friday evening.
Contestants on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! were removed from Gwrych Castle in Wales in the aftermath of Storm Arwen. Bosses were also forced to cancel two live shows over the weekend because of the weather.
ITV said: “Whilst we get the production base back up and running after suffering technical issues due to the storm, we have removed the celebrities from the castle.”
Gales caused power cuts for 55,000 Northern Powergrid customers in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Co Durham, and thousands lost power across Cumbria and Lancashire.
High winds in Roker, Sunderland, knocked bricks from a house on to a car.
Beachgoers were told to use their “common sense” as the RNLI warned people to be extremely careful after reports that a rowing boat capsized off Wales.
Paddy Cochrane, a Falmouth coast guard, said: “We would ask people to stay away from the coast. People need to know these waves have power and are usually full of stones, grit and gravel.”
Travellers faced a weekend of motorway delays and rail disruption, with services cancelled across the country.
Snow ploughs were deployed near Rochdale after the M62 was forced to close when 120 lorries became stuck in the snow and a vehicle overturned. Part of the A1 in East Lothian, Scotland, was closed because of high winds.
Weather warnings were downgraded across the country yesterday. While yellow alerts remain in place today across Scotland and parts of the North East, the worst of the storm looks to be over.
Dan Stroud, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: “Storm Arwen is shifting over into the Continent. However, rain showers are pushing inland across North East England and Scotland and falling on to cold surfaces, so there’s a risk of ice. The wind is staying fairly strong, so we’re still likely to see further wintry showers across parts of Scotland and down through eastern England.”
Though temperatures are likely to drop below freezing tonight, they should return to average on Tuesday.