Floods, destruction and chaos as Ciara blows in
Storm Ciara has left flooding and wreckage in her wake, with snow still to come, reports Helen Mcardle
A CRANE was toppled by gale-force winds in London as Storm Ciara swept across the UK, triggering an amber “danger to life” weather warning across much of England and Wales.
In north-west London, pictures showed the partially-collapsed crane dangling over a block of flats under construction,
One witness, Lindsey Wells, 36, who pictured the damage near Stanmore Tube station, said the crane was bent over by gusts “like it’s made of spaghetti”.
In Lincolnshire, the sheer force of Storm Ciara’s winds tore the blades off a windmill in Burgh Le Marsh. Dramatic images showed debris scattered across the area after locals reported the windmill “spinning round really fast” earlier.
Wales was hit by some of the strongest gusts in the UK, with a 93mph wind speed recorded in Aberdaron, in the north-west, followed by 86mph gusts in Capel Curig, Snowdonia.
Torrential downpours in Cumbria saw six inches of rain fall in 24 hours.
The town of Appleby-in-westmorland was hit by severe flooding as the River Eden burst its banks, with residents battling to protect their homes.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service urged people not to drive through floodwater after its staff rescued a number of motorists, while police forces across the country advised people to stay off the roads.
More than 200 flood warnings were issued, including one rated as “severe” at Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, meaning there was a danger to life. There were a further 200 flood alerts.
Chris Wilding, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Some significant river flooding is possible across parts of the north of England due to heavy, persistent rain and severe gale force winds associated with Storm Ciara.
“We urge people in at-risk areas to remain vigilant.
“Minor coastal flooding impacts are also possible for parts of the south, west and north-east England coast, where high tides, large waves and coastal gales combine.
“We advise people to check their flood risk, stay safe and avoid activities such as storm selfies.”
Drivers across the UK faced treacherous conditions as floodwater, fallen trees and other debris closed roads.
Firefighters in Blackpool had to rescue a driver whose car got stuck in deep floodwater and a man escaped with minor injuries after being trapped for more than an hour when a tree fell on a car in Flitwick, Bedfordshire.
Some train companies urged passengers not to travel, while Network Rail imposed a blanket speed restriction of 50mph across the network yesterday, warning passengers to only travel by train that day “if absolutely necessary”.
And a trampoline blown on to train tracks in Chelsfield, south London, disrupted rail services from the South East into the capital.
Dozens of domestic and international flights to and from major UK airports were cancelled and disrupted, including Qantas flight QF10, which returned to Heathrow after experiencing a suspected tail strike during take-off.
Engineers who carried out an inspection found no damage to the fuselage of the Boeing 747, but the flight to Perth, Australia, was cancelled because of limits on the crew’s flying time, the airline said.
Elsewhere, a passenger on a flight from Florida told how the plane’s landing at Gatwick Airport yesterday morning was aborted three times before finally being able to touch down on its fourth attempt.
Keith Mcdowall, 90, from Islington, in north London, said: “I’ve never had anything quite like it. I admit I was scared. It (the plane) was veering around and it kept shaking.
“The pilot did a very good job to land it.”
Ferries were also disrupted, as P&O said all services at the Port of Dover had been suspended due to strong winds, and Mersey Ferries cancelled all services until further notice.
The Humber Bridge was closed entirely for only the second time in its history, according to its website.
Yesterday’s sporting programme was also disrupted, as horse racing, rugby union, rugby league and football fixtures, including Manchester City’s Premier League match at home to
West Ham United, were all postponed.
The Queen did not attend church in Sandringham due to high winds in the area.
And London’s eight Royal Parks, which include Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, were all closed yesterday.
The London Winter Run 10k event, due to be attended by 25,000 runners, was cancelled after organisers said they were “not able to guarantee the safety of our runners, crew and volunteers”.
More than 500,000 people across the UK experienced a power cut, with tens of thousands left without power by 4pm yesterday, according to
Energy Networks.
Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said the gusts of between
60 and 70mph inland were “quite exceptional”.
She added: “It is likely we will see further impact from the wind such as falling debris, roof tiles coming off, branches and trees down, with disruption to travel as well.”
Strong gusts will continue to hit Northern Ireland and most of
Scotland after the worst of Storm
Ciara has moved away, with heavy snow and winds also predicted across Scotland today and tomorrow.
A yellow warning is also in place for snow and ice across Scotland on Wednesday.