Storm Ciara lashes UK as 93mph gale-force winds trigger chaos with trees crashing down

Storm Ciara is wreaking havoc across the country as homes are being evacuated after a hotel collapsed into raging flood waters while 93mph gales ripped down cranes, windmills and even a pub.  

Tourists are stranded as hundreds of flights into and out of European airports were cancelled as Britain’s biggest storm in seven years swept into Scotland, with snow predicted for tomorrow. 

Homes have been evacuated across the country and emergency services have been rescuing people from their cars as violent winds and flooding continue to cause chaos.

Gales are battering Britain’s biggest aviation museum amid fears that the force of the winds could tear off its roof and damage World War II planes. 

Flying debris from buildings could bring a danger to life and power cuts are also a possibility, forecasters have warned.  

There are now 214 flood warnings in place demanding immediate action, with 177 alerts also suggesting that flooding is possible elsewhere.

River banks are bursting as up to 151.8mm of rain has hit regions, forcing firefighters to warn people against travelling. 

In other areas residents are battling to save their homes, with pictures showing them using buckets as they struggle to move water away from their properties.

Football stadiums and zoos have shut their doors amid safety fears and train stations are urging against travelling on some networks after a train ploughed into a fallen tree.  

Train providers axed services across swathes of the country today, announcing that there would be no journeys at all in certain regions.  

Parks have also closed and the dog-walkers and joggers who braved the adverse weather today arrived to find gates closed.

Torrential rain opened up a sinkhole in a back garden, with footage showing water raging underneath the grass to the rear of the property.  

As Storm Ciara batters Britain:

• A hotel in Hawick collapsed into flood waters as violent winds helped to crumble the building to the ground  
• Tree crashed down onto National Express coach in London as passengers on board narrowly avoided disaster 
• Gales damage Duxford hangar, causing fears the roof could be blown off and World War II aircraft destroyed  
• Man City vs. West Ham match, due to be held at the Etihad this afternoon was postponed due to the weather
• Gusts of 93 mph recorded in Aberdaron, north Wales, while 151.8mm of rain hits Cumbria in 24 hours 
• Avanti West Coast cancels all trains north of Preston until further notice because of the impact of Storm Ciara
• London Euston’s Twitter warns people not to travel and Cumbria firefighters warn drivers to stay at home 
• Torrential rain opens up a sink hole in the back garden of a property in Rochdale, Greater Manchester  

Collapsing walls and falling trees have seen people come within inches of injury or worse as they are forced to dodge out of the way of tumbling structures.  

Coastal areas were pictured awash with foam from the sea as massive waves swept ashore and covered homes and businesses. 

Major roads are closing and being rendered unusable as emergency services warns people not to drive through floodwater.   

Police are enforcing emergency speed limits in some areas, amid fears of fatal accidents on Britain’s roads should drivers choose to head out. 

Concerns over accidents were amplified as a picture surfaced showing a car smashed up and on its side this morning. 

Power networks were also bracing for blackouts from gales wreaking havoc on overhead electric cables, and reassured the public they have crews on standby.  

Thousands of football fans had their away day ruined after travelling more than 200 miles to watch West Ham play Manchester City only to find that the weather had cancelled the fixture.

The M11 has been shut in both directions in Cambridgeshire after an airport hangar in Duxford airfield, the location of the largest aviation museum in the UK, was damaged by high winds.

Highways England tweeted: ‘M11 is being closed in both directions between J9 and J10 – at Duxford airfield an aircraft hangars roof has been damaged in the wind and is likely to be blown on to the motorway – please avoid the area #StumpsCross #Whittlesford #Royston.’ 

The town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria 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 they rescued a number of motorists.

Avanti West Coast said no trains will run north of Preston on Sunday until further notice because of the impact of Storm Ciara, and London Euston Twitter account has warned people not to travel. 

In Scotland, officials put in place a 40mph speed limit on the Queensferry Crossing, and ferry services were also cancelled after a weather warning for gusts of up to 75mph was issued by the Met Office. 

The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning, meaning there is a danger to life, for the River Nidd at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley, in North Yorkshire. 

The Bridge House Guest House in Hawick, Scotland was closed off at 9.30am today after worries that the building was not secure.  No guests or workers were believed to have been in the building at the time.

Water had been travelling up the embankment all morning and fire crews rushed to the scene after the water smashed into the building.  

Snow and ice is set to bring disruption to commuters in the North-West, Yorkshire and the Midlands over the next two days with the Met Office issuing yellow warnings in all three regions.  

Meanwhile, tourists are stranded abroad as delays hit airports on the continent as well as in the UK. Speaking to the MailOnline, one passenger who has been left stranded in Morzine on the  border of France and Switzerland, said her flight was cancelled with no word from travel provider easyJet.

Lisa Norton from London had been skiing at the resort and was due to fly home from Geneva on the 9.40pm flight this evening. Whilst on a ski lift she received a notification from the easyJet app stating that her flight had been cancelled.

‘We were supposed to be going home tonight but the soonest they can fly us home is Wednesday and I need to get back for my job and my child.  We are going to Geneva and from there we will fly from Paris, where we have had to get a eurostar ticket to London.’

Lisa, who had been on the trip with her twin sister since Wednesday said it has cost her nearly £1,000 to make different travel arrangements.

‘We didn’t even get an email. There are a few people here at the resort who are in the same situation, but have decided to stay here until they can get a flight back.  The weather has been stunning in France, we knew the storm was coming.’ MailOnline has contacted easyJet. 

London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports have both seen disruption, leaving many passengers faced with hours of chaos. 

Travellers hoping to arrive at Heathrow were faced with 37 cancellations and a further 50 delayed flights, while Gatwick saw more than 40 delays to both arrivals and departures.  

Elsewhere around the country, flights are disrupted into and out of airports including the Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool hubs.

Flights are delayed arriving and leaving major European cities too, with Frankfurt Airport seeing 21 cancelled departures and a further 116 delays.

Zoos across the country including Chester and Blackpool closed their doors to protect the animals, but it didn’t stop two pesky wallabies escaping from their enclosure in Southampton.

The two marsupials were sheltering behind a fence when it was knocked down by a huge gust of wind and they hopped away.

Police officers were alerted at 11.30am and the animals were found looking very wet and cold in a bush.

Their owners came to collect them and they are now back home safe and well.

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘Trees down all across the New Forest – helping where we can.

‘Oh and two Wallabies that had escaped their enclosure in Calmore, Southampton, Hants, are now safely back where they belong.

‘They were being kept privately. The wind blew down the fence they were behind, some horses wandered into their field and they scarpered or should I say hopped.’

In Northampton, the roof of  building was blown off following 60mph winds in the area. The roof of the Sol Central was seen hanging on by a thread at around 9.20am today.  A car narrowly avoided being crushed by the panels as they flew off the roof.

Commuters at London’s Euston station also faced struggles today as many packed into the station only to be faced with delays. 

The storm has also prompted all eight of London’s Royal parks, including Richmond and Hyde Park, to be shut until Monday, while in Ireland, the opening ceremony of Galway’s year as European capital of culture has also been called off. 

A trampoline blown onto train tracks in Chelsfield, south London, disrupted rail services from the South East into the capital.

And a North Wales Twitter user shared footage of rough seas flooding roads and bringing water to his front door on Tremadoc Bay in Criccieth, Gwynedd.

‘This is quite an exceptional storm and I haven’t seen wind this strong for quite a few years,’ 58-year-old company director Gethin Jones told the PA news agency.

Gusts of 86 miles per hour were recorded in Capel Curig, in North Wales, at midnight, while the Isle of White saw 81mph winds on Sunday morning, while Cumbria saw 151.8mm of rain in 24 hours.

Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said ‘quite exceptional’ gusts of between 60 and 70mph would be seen in inland areas, with the worst of the weather likely to hit before 6pm, although warnings are in place until 9pm.

‘As well as the strength of the wind there is the rain to come today,’ she said.

‘So far, we have seen some impact from the rain, which has been heavy and persistent across Northern Ireland and northern England in the last 24 hours.

‘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.’

Heathrow Airport said it had agreed with its airline partners to ‘consolidate’ Sunday’s flight schedule in a bid to minimise the number of cancelled flights.

British Airways said in a statement: ‘Like all airlines operating into and out of the UK tomorrow, we are expecting to be impacted by the adverse weather conditions across parts of the UK on Sunday.’

The airline said it was offering rebooking options for customers on domestic and European flights flying to and from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City on Sunday.

Virgin Atlantic has posted a list of cancelled flights on its website. It said it was ‘contacting affected customers and rearranging their travel arrangements’.

This is while an overnight flight from New York to London is likely to have broken the fastest-ever crossing time after reaching speeds of more than 800mph.

The flight took just four hours and 56 minutes, according to Flightradar24.

A 200mph jet stream hurtled towards the UK, pushing the plane to record breaking speeds. 

It departed JFK at airport on Saturday and reached Heathrow at 11.20pm.

This is while flights travelling in the opposite direction were more than two hours longer than usual. 

Speaking to the Independent, a BA spokesperson said: ‘We always prioritise safety over speed records, but our highly trained pilots made the most of the conditions to get customers back to London well ahead of time.’

Ferries have also been disrupted, as P&O said all services at the Port of Dover were suspended due to strong winds and Mersey Ferries cancelled all services until further notice.

The train firms which have issued ‘do not travel’ warnings are Gatwick Express, Grand Central, Great Northern, Hull Trains, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink and TransPennine Express. 

Fog, snow and rain will bucket down on much of the nation and high winds are powerful enough to rip tiles from roofs, forecasters warned. 

Weather maps show 1,000 mile-wide Ciara being catapulted across the Atlantic, bringing 30ft waves to the South-West and North-West coasts and 50ft waves offshore. 

Drivers are being warned to take extra care on the roads due to the potential of difficult conditions caused by heavy rain, particularly on coastal or exposed routes. 

In Scotland, the bad weather prompted officials to put in place a 40mph speed limit on the Queensferry Crossing, while ferry passengers also faced disruption, with many Caledonian MacBrayne services cancelled due to the conditions.

Robert Morrison, Caledonian MacBrayne’s director of operations, yesterday said: ‘There is a very high possibility of weather related disruption to services across all 28 of our routes so people should be aware of this before setting off on their journey.

‘We will of course be looking keep sailings running when conditions allow.

‘I would urge passengers to allow extra time for their journey, keep track of the status of their sailing on the website or on social media and be prepared for delays and cancellations.’

The Met Office also warned that homes and businesses in the Scottish Borders are likely to be flooded, with a chance that some communities may be cut off by flooded roads. 

Several bridges were closed to high sided vehicles on Saturday with the Erskine, Dornoch, Skye and Kessock Bridges among those affected.

In the Highlands a lorry overturned on the A96 at Gollanfield. Police said there were no reports of any injuries.

However the road will remain closed overnight as it is not safe to recover the vehicle at the moment due to high winds. 

In Aberdeenshire, a coach overturned on the B9000 at the A90 slip road for Newburgh.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 15 flood alerts and 17 flood warnings.

Yellow warnings of high winds were also in place across Scotland for Sunday. 

Meanwhile Network Rail said that winds of up to 90mph are expected on the West Highland Line and the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh routes on Sunday and said that services will be suspended during the worst of the weather.

The company tweeted: ‘We expect extreme winds of 80-90mph to affect the West Highland Line & Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh tomorrow. Services will be suspended on those routes during the worst of the weather tomorrow. It’s not safe to run in these conditions.

‘Once the storm passes, we’ll inspect both routes with locomotives on Monday at first light for obstructions before reopening.’

The rail manager said there will be a 50mph precautionary speed limit for trains, adding that ‘major travel disruption’ is expected. 

They advised passengers to ‘only travel by train this Sunday if absolutely necessary’. 

Disruption could continue into Monday morning as repair work may be hampered by the conditions. 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 15 flood alerts and 20 flood warnings.

Those venturing outdoors are also being advised to wrap up as the storm brings a cold snap which will plunge temperatures as low as -5C. 

Ciara – the most widespread storm in seven years – will start its sweep across Scotland at around 3pm, just over an hour before the country’s rugby team faces off against England in Edinburgh. 

The Six Nations clash is still scheduled to go ahead, but many other events across the weekend have been axed for fear the blustery conditions will cause carnage. 

A Scottish Rugby spokesman said: ‘Scottish Rugby is looking forward to welcoming fans to the international matches being held this weekend. As part of our usual preparations we are closely monitoring weather forecasts in light of potential adverse conditions.’ 

And revellers in Galway faced disappointment in Ireland too as the opening night for the city’s stint as the European capital of culture was called off.  It had been due to take place on Sunday.  

The Galway ceremony organisers said: ‘We have been in constant contact with the relevant authorities since the weather warnings were put in place earlier this week and, in the interests of the safety of the public the weather warnings currently in place mean that it has been deemed unsafe to go ahead.

‘We are saddened for the community cast, our volunteers and the whole team who have worked so hard during the last weeks and months.

‘Today’s event would have marked the finale of what has been a hugely successful week-long series of events on the fire tour of lighting ceremonies that have lit up towns across the county.’  

Shop owners in the city were seen preparing for the impending wind and rain by putting up sandbags. 

In London, the Winter Run 10k event – due to be attended by 25,000 was cancelled after organisers said they were ‘not able to guarantee the safety of our runners, crew and volunteers’.

And the charity which runs London’s Royal parks, which also include Regent’s Park and Green Park, announced on their website and in a Twitter post that all of the green spaces would be closed on Sunday. 

The body said they had made the decision after discussions with their ‘tree experts’ and their health and safety team. 

The parks are home to 170,000 trees, many of which are vulnerable to high winds, they said.     

RAC spokesman Simon Williams also expected bad conditions, saying: ‘It’s Black Sunday for travel. More road accidents are expected due to debris and vehicles being blown off course.’ 

Alex Burkill, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the wet and windy weather is ‘the prelude, if you will, to what is Storm Ciara’.

He said the most pressing of the Met Office warnings is the amber wind warning.

‘That’s where we’re likely to see significant impacts from the wind. We’re taking some damage to property, flying debris, and that could bring the risk of injury to people, as well as just the usual things such as power outages and disruption to travel.

‘It is worth bearing in mind that the strong winds on Sunday are going to be very widespread so it’s across the whole of the UK where we’re going to see very strong winds, so the impact will be widespread.’

People in coastal towns are being warned not to get too close to the water, which will spray high over sea walls amid gusty weather.

Guy Addington, regional water safety lead at the RNLI, said: ‘This rough weather could making visiting our coasts around the UK and Ireland treacherous and bring very dangerous sea conditions.

‘If you see someone else in danger in the water, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If you have something that floats that they can hold on to, throw it to them. Don’t go in the water yourself – too many people drown trying to save others.’ 

Some ferry journeys have also been effected by the bad weather. Changes include times being adjusted on trips to and from Le Havre and Sunday’s two Cherbourg to Poole trips being cancelled.  

A yellow warning of wind covers the entire country, while an amber warning has been issued for south-east England as Ciara rolls down towards the continent.

Many attractions have dismayed tourists by shutting shop, including the Royal Parks which announced it will be closing all of London’s eight parks, including Green Park, Hyde Park and St James’s Park.

In a statement they said: ‘In liaison with our tree experts and Health and Safety team we have made this decision to ensure the safety of all park users including vehicle users and cyclists.’ 

Weather maps show 1,000 mile-wide Ciara being catapulted across the Atlantic, bringing 30ft waves to south west and north west coasts and 50ft waves offshore. 

Wind remains a problem on Monday but it is the additional threat from heavy snow which has prompted yet another yellow warning, between midnight on Sunday and noon on Tuesday.

Areas above 490ft (150m) can expect up to an inch of snow, rising to four inches above 980ft (300m). The Met Office has also forecast lightning strikes, blizzards and ‘considerable drifting of lying snow’.

Looking further ahead, Chief meteorologist Frank Saunders added: ‘In the wake of Storm Ciara, it’ll remain unsettled and very windy across the UK and it’ll turn colder with wintry showers and ice an additional hazard, as we head into the new week.’

CalMac director of operations, Robert Morrison, said: ‘Weather for the weekend is looking extremely problematic as far as delivering a scheduled timetable. There is a very high possibility of weather-related disruption to services across all 28 of our routes.’

Ben Aldous, RAC patrol of the year, said: ‘Drivers will need to take extreme care with the strong winds forecast for this weekend, especially on coastal or exposed routes. Combine the strength of the wind with heavy showers, and you have a recipe for some treacherous driving conditions.

‘We strongly recommend drivers reduce their speed and leave plenty of space between their vehicle and those around them, and be particular careful when passing high-sided vehicles when the potential for strong cross-winds could blow them off course. Drivers in rural areas should be particularly cautious of falling debris.’   

Heart-stopping moment lifeboat almost capsizes on mission to rescue ‘idiot’ surfer as Storm Ciara lashes the Sussex coast

By Isabella Nikolic for MailOnline

A lifeboat almost capsized after being battered by waves on the Sussex coast during a Storm Ciara rescue mission. 

Heart-stopping footage shows the boat being tossed around by the waves before one huge breaker smacks into its side and forces it out of the water. 

The volunteers on the boat, from RNLI Hastings, were on a mission to save an ‘idiot’ surfer who had become separated form his board off the coast of Hastings thanks to 93mph gales from Storm Ciara.  

Paul Hogg, who uploaded footage of the rescue mission, said: ‘Brave boys from RNLI off out to rescue some idiot surfer off Hastings in Storm Ciara. Come home safe boys.’

In response, one onlooker called Richard Connolly uploaded footage of the surfer in trouble alongside the caption: ‘This is the surfer when he lost his board and it went from bad to worse for him. He even refused help from standers by. He could have prevented this whole scene with the rescuers.’

The surfer is seen thrashing around in the water as waves upon waves of seawater smash into him and drag him further out.  

The Hastings branch of the RNLI has confirmed that all those on board the boat have returned safely from the mission. 

In a post on Twitter they wrote: ‘After a dramatic video has been posted most of you know hat we’ve been out on a shout but we’re happy to report that we’re all safe, well and uninjured and the boat is undamaged and safely berthed next to RNLI Eastbourne. We’re on our way back to Hastings now.’

An RNLI spokesman said that all of their lifeboats are built to withstand harsh conditions. RNLI Poole uploaded the video to Twitter alongside the caption: ‘Our colleagues out on a shout at Hastings.