A summary of today’s developments
A man in his 40s has died during Storm Darragh on Saturday after a tree fell on to his van while he was driving on a dual carriageway, Lancashire police said. Police said emergency services were called at around 9am on Saturday after the incident on the A59 at Longton near to the Lancashire police’s headquarters.
The Energy Networks Association said 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales are without power. A spokesperson said about 768,000 customers have been reconnected on Saturday, with more than 1,000 engineers ready to be deployed.
The strongest gust thus far has been 96mph recorded at Berry Head in Devon, according to the Met Office.
As of 11.30am on Saturday, 325,000 homes, farms and businesses across Ireland were without power as a result of the storm, said ESB Networks. At 7am, the number stood at approximately 395,000 customers. ESB Networks have said full restoration is expected to take several days.
Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said about 46,000 customers were without power on Saturday morning after a night of high winds. NIE Networks added this number could continue to rise. It said damage including broken overhead power lines, fallen trees across lines and broken poles will require repair work expected to continue into Sunday.
Wind gusts reached 93mph, the Met Office said on Saturday, with the strongest being recorded in Capel Curig in north Wales.
A major incident has been declared in parts of Wales because of disruption from Storm Darragh. Dyfed-Powys police said it was continuing to experience high volumes of calls about fallen trees and poor driving conditions.
A number of rail services and flights were disrupted by Storm Darragh and some roads were closed due to fallen trees on Saturday. Air traffic control provider Nats said on Saturday morning that temporary air traffic restrictions were in place at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Trains and some bus services in Northern Ireland were suspended on Saturday until further notice.
The Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool was postponed on Saturday due to adverse weather conditions. The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park was due to kick off at 12.30pm. A number of other football fixtures were postponed too, while Saturday afternoon’s race meetings at both Aintree and Chepstow was called off due to the strong winds.
Storm Darragh has had “very significant effects in many parts of Wales, including on transport, energy infrastructure and property”, the Welsh first minister and her deputy have said. In a joint statement from Eluned Morgan and Huw Irranca-Davies on Saturday, they said “people should be vigilant as the effects of Storm Darragh may be felt for some days yet”.
Storm Darragh has also brought travel disruption to Scotland, with wind and rain battering much of the country. The train line between Ayr and Girvan was shut after a large tree fell on to the tracks, while snow gates were closed on roads in the north-east of Scotland. An amber wind warning is in place for parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire until 9pm on Saturday. Heavy wind and rain are also expected along the east coast of Scotland into Saturday night.
Storm Darragh is also expected to bring heavy rain over the weekend, with 15 flood warnings in place in England on Saturday. The Environment Agency said river flooding is likely in parts of Hereford. An amber warning for rain is in place in Wales from 3am to 6pm on Saturday with heavy rain likely to lead to disruption to transport and infrastructure. A yellow warning for rain is in place for Northern Ireland and Wales, both of which were badly affected by flooding during Storm Bert.
The Met Office said periods of heavy rain in south and mid-Wales through Saturday are likely, with totals of 80-90mm are possible by the evening, which is about half a month’s worth of rain in one day.
In London, all eight of the royal parks were closed due to severe wind gusts.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds across England and Wales on Sunday. The yellow weather warning will be in place from 6am on Sunday until 6pm.
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A fan of Everton football club who travelled from South Africa said his lifelong dream to watch his team play was “shattered” after the final league Merseyside derby at Goodison Park was postponed due to Storm Darragh.
High winds and rain have battered the west coast and the decision to call off the lunchtime kick-off between Everton and Liverpool was made early on Saturday morning.
Gareth Clark, 29, told the PA news agency he arrived in the UK from Cape Town on November 27 and has been staying in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh since then, with the Merseyside derby the highlight of his trip.
“It has been my lifelong dream to come and watch Everton, and I finally saved enough money to come and watch my first derby – and, of course, the final derby at Goodison. Also my first time that I have managed to come to the UK,” he said.
Clark, a teacher, said he spent a “vast amount” of money on the trip, including around £750 on flights.
“More than the money, it is my lifelong dream that was shattered when I heard the news this morning,” he said.
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