Huge gusts from Storm Eunice have ripped the O2 Arena's iconic roof "to pieces," as large holes were seen in the popular London venue.
Britain is currently in the midst of the fury of the record-breaking storm, with winds of 122mph recorded earlier today at The Needles.
And on the banks of the River Thames, the gusts have taken out a significant chunk of the O2 Arena’s white covering, made of a material known as SHEERFILL.
Shocked onlookers in nearby buildings shared videos of the damage.
Twitter user Ben Hubbard said: "The Millennium Dome is being shredded to pieces by the high wind conditions.
"First one panel was ripped off, then another went too.
"How much more will this thing be destroyed?"
He later added another video showing around six panels had come off adding: "This thing isn't slowing down."
Videos taken inside the venue, previously named the world's best for music, showed the large hole created in its roof as the remaining covering billowed in the wind.
Weather presenter Lucy Verasamy added: "The #O2 ripped apart - built for the millennium, clearly the strongest winds in the capital for over 20 years."
In another video shared to Twitter, part of the membrane which covers the arena was seen falling into the Thames.
The venue is due to have British rapper Dave perform in front of thousands in three days time, followed by UB40.
It was also scheduled to host boxer Lawrence Okolie's second defence of his WBO Cruiserweight World Title against former World Title challenger Michal Cieslak next weekend.
A spokesperson for the arena said: “Due to today’s adverse weather conditions, we can confirm that there has been some damage caused to the tent fabric in our roof at The O2.
"The affected areas have been cleared and The O2 will remain closed for the rest of the day. The safety of our visitors remains of paramount importance, and we will continue to assess the ongoing situation and act accordingly."
It comes after a day of devastation across the UK, starting when the storm made landfall at around 5am in the south west of the country.
The Met Office put out two rare red alerts for wind for both the south west and the south east, lasting into the afternoon.
Roads across the country have been blocked by falling trees and debris, with commuters in parts of the north and Scotland waking up to a blanket of snow.
Rail services across the country were cancelled, while flights have also been delayed or cancelled in airports across the UK. People being told to only travel is absolutely necessary.
The city of Bristol and the Cornwall region have both declared major incidents as they prepare for the onslaught of the storm.
And the whole of London and the surrounding areas are now also covered by the red warning zone with fears of flying debris and a danger to life - and meteorologist Ryan Maue has warned that Eunice could bring 'hurricane-like' winds to the UK.
Traffic on the M4 motorway between Porthcawl and Margam came to a standstill as gusts of 90mph caused lorries to overturn in the stormy conditions.
Both Severn Bridges are closed for the first time as a result of the conditions.
A yellow warning was put in place in the north west amid warnings of heavy rainfall causing flooding in the area.
In Suffolk, a major incident was declared and people are being warned to charge their phones and prepare for a blackout, as Storm Eunice threatens power supply.
Wind gusts of up to 80mph are expected to tear across Suffolk today during the red weather warning period between 10am and 3pm and the Suffolk Resilience Forum has sent out a message to all residents.
Earlier Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “After the impacts from Storm Dudley for many on Wednesday, Storm Eunice will bring damaging gusts in what could be one of the most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years.”
“The red warning areas indicate a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris.
"Although the most exposed coastal areas could see gusts in excess of 90mph, winds will remain notably strong further inland, with gusts of between 60-70mph for most within the amber warning area, and up to 80mph in a few places.”
Meanwhile weather watchers and amateur photographers have been urged to avoid the coastline in search of dramatic footage of Storm Eunice.
Roy Stokes from the Environment Agency said it was "probably the most stupid thing you can do" to travel to the most exposed areas, with gusts of up to 90mph expected on the coastline.
