Storm Arwen: Three killed as 100mph gusts cause major disruption

Three people have been killed as Storm Arwen brought gusts of almost 100mph, causing road closures, train delays and power cuts across the UK.

The Met Office said amber and yellow warnings for wind remained in place across large swathes of the country.

Some regions in England and Scotland saw snow, and a yellow warning for ice has been issued for parts of both countries until Sunday.

At least three people died during the storm on Friday as trees were blown over.

Marco Petagna, a Met Office forecaster, said: “We’ve seen some pretty severe gusts overnight with the highest speeds hitting 98mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.

“Elsewhere, exposed sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland also surpassed 90mph, with 70-80mph seen more widely in the north of the UK, though parts of southern England and Wales also felt the effects of the storm.

“This has been coupled with a few inches of snow which has fallen in some areas.

“In the higher ground areas of Scotland we expected to see up to 15cm falling but the strong winds meant the snow blew around and created a blizzard in some parts.”

Police Scotland said a 35-year-old man died when his pick-up truck was struck by a falling tree on the B977 Dyce to Hatton of Fintray Road in Aberdeenshire at about 5.45pm on Friday.

Cumbria Police said a man from Lancaster died in Ambleside after a tree fell on him just before 11pm.

In Northern Ireland, a man was killed when his car was hit by a falling tree in County Antrim.

Wind speeds reached 87mph in Orlock Head, Co Down.

Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland had gusts of 78mph, while Aberporth in Wales saw speeds of 77mph.

People were advised to be wary of travelling, as train networks across the UK reported disruption to services.

All Avanti West Coast services North of Carlisle were cancelled on Saturday, with customers “strongly advised” not to attempt to travel on the route.

ScotRail services were disrupted between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street, Dunblane and Stirling after a barn was blown on to the line close to Polmont, near Falkirk.

Passengers travelling on an Aberdeen-bound train on Friday had to wait 17 hours at Huntly railway station in Aberdeenshire due to the extreme weather.

TransPennine Express customers were urged not to travel, with services between Newcastle and Edinburgh cancelled.

South Western Railway services were disrupted on Saturday due to “multiple trees and obstructions blocking the railway”, while London North East Railway warned customers not to travel north of York due to “significant damage”.

Dorset Council reported trees and power cables on roads in the area, while road closures were reported more widely in the worst-affected parts of northern England and Scotland.

Social media footage showed a number of lorries and cars stuck on snowy roads, with ploughs being used in a number of areas.

In Scotland, one person posted a photo of a caravan that had blown into a garden.

Homes across all parts of the UK were damaged as the gusts struck.

Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK’s energy network operators, urged customers to stay clear of any fallen power lines and report them immediately.

Northern Powergrid said severe gales had caused power cuts for more than 55,000 customers, mainly in the Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear areas.

A number of councils in Scotland also reported power cuts, and Electricity North West responded to a high number of cuts affecting thousands of properties in Cumbria and Lancashire.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said more than 100,000 homes were left without power when the storm hit on Friday.

The utility firm said “a significant number of customers” were facing electricity outages throughout Saturday due to the damage caused by the storm.

Mr Petagna said: “There has been plenty of disruption caused by these severe gales, stretching down from south-west England and as far as northern parts of Scotland.

“But I have to say we’ve seen the worst of the weather and things will start to fizzle out over Saturday, though people will still see snow and fairly strong gales.”

The Met Office said the north of Scotland, north-east and north-west England, the West Midlands and the East Midlands will experience cold weather until Monday, with ice warnings in place for the rest of the weekend.

The storm has also impacted ITV's I'm a Celebrity, with shows on Saturday and Sunday being cancelled because the production base at Gwrych Castle in North Wales suffered significant damage.