Power cuts and train cancellations as Storm Darragh batters UK

Waves crash against the sea wall and lighthouse at Porthcawl, south Wales as Storm Darragh brings winds of nearly 145km/h to the west of Wales and north-west England. Photo / AFP

Tens of thousands of people across the United Kingdom were left without power at the weekend after Storm Darragh hit the country with strong winds and caused pre-Christmas travel disruption.

The UK’s Met Office had issued a rare red alert for high winds on Saturday covering parts of Wales and southwest England.

The Government warned three million people living in the area with a siren-like alert on their phones to stay at home.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the storm posed a “challenging situation”.

“About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice,” Reynolds told Sky News.

Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, is also expected to bring heavy rain today, with more than 100 flood warnings and alerts in place across the UK.

A fallen tree damaged a car in Liverpool as Storm Darragh batters parts of the UK. The storm has left thousands without power and disrupted travel and sports events. Photo / Getty

One man died after a tree fell on his van during the storm, police in Lancashire, northwest England, said.

In Wales, the Met Office estimated gusts of up to 150km/h, which knocked out power for more than 50,000 people, according to the Press Association news agency.

Power cuts affected 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales, according to the Energy Networks Association.

Trains were disrupted or suspended on several routes including from Glasgow to Edinburgh in Scotland, and between Cambridge and Stansted Airport in eastern England.

Rail operator CrossCountry put a “do not travel” notice in place for Saturday because of cancellations and severe delays.

Network Rail Wales suspended trains on the Welsh northern coast because of a “fallen tree blocking the line”, and several bridges in southern England and Wales were closed for safety reasons.

A separate amber warning, which is less serious than the red alert but still poses “potential risk to life and property”, covering a larger stretch of the UK and Northern Ireland is in place this morning NZT.

In Northern Ireland, thousands were left without power, and several bus and train services were suspended or delayed.

Christmas markets and sporting events were postponed, including the Merseyside derby between Premier League leaders Liverpool and Everton.

In Ireland, which issued an “orange” wind warning, 400,000 people were left without electricity, according to RTE.

Dublin Airport said a “a number of flights ... have been cancelled by airlines” because of the storm.

Darragh comes two weeks after Storm Bert battered much of Britain, causing “devastating” flooding in parts of Wales and knocking out power to thousands of homes in Ireland.