Trees blown down as Storm Darragh hits Warwickshire

GUSTS of 90mph have been recorded as Storm Darragh hit the UK today (Saturday).

Wales looks to have been the hardest hit where wind gusts of up to 93mph were recorded overnight..

While the storm is not as fierce in Warwickshire, the wind has been strong enough to bring down trees - the Warwick Road, Stratford, was blocked earlier today by a fallen tree near Fisherman’s car park, while a large tree was blown down in Moorfield Road at the back of Waitrose in Alcester.

The advice from the emergency services is to only travel if you really need to while Christmas events in the county have been cancelled, including Stratford’s Christmas market.

Elsewhere, thousands of homes have been left without power, and trains have been cancelled as the government’s “risk to life” alert came into force.

The emergency alert came into effect at 1am on Saturday and was sent to people within the area covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England.

It was the largest use of the warning system yet, with the alert urging residents to avoid driving and to “stay indoors if you can”.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described the storm as a “challenging situation”.

He added: “About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system on their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice.”

He added: “Where you can, stay inside, don’t put yourself at risk, and just follow the advice at all times.”

The Cabinet Office’s emergency alert system sent a message to every compatible mobile phone in the impacted areas, containing information about the red warning and guidance on how to stay safe.

Yellow wind warnings will be in place across Warwickshire tonight and into Sunday until around 6am.