Closing summary
Fresh weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued by the Met Office for much of Scotland and the north of England on Sunday. A yellow warning covering large parts of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, north-east and north-west England and Yorkshire will come into force at 2am on Sunday, expected to run until 3pm.
A separate yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of England and Wales from midday on Friday until midday on Saturday as partially thawed snow refreezes, accompanied by wintry showers and freezing fog. In Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for snow and ice will come into force from 5pm on Friday and run until 11am on Saturday, with the Met Office warning of icy patches and some hill snow.
RNLI volunteers battled horrendous conditions to rescue people from boats as Storm Goretti hit Cornwall. Falmouth RNLI responded to seven separate incidents on Thursday night in “hurricane strength” winds described as the “worst” ever seen by volunteers.
The government has been urged to convene a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to respond to Storm Goretti. Gideon Amos, Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington in Somerset, said: “The government’s Cobra committee must urgently be convened to ensure fast help is delivered across the region. The south-west is routinely overlooked by the government, but we cannot be ignored in this time of need.”
Extra engineers have been brought in from other areas to help restore power to properties in the south-west and west Midlands, which felt the strongest impacts of Storm Goretti, the National Grid said. The utility company said it had restored power to 169,380 properties across the south-west, Midlands, and south Wales by noon on Friday.
Disruption on the roads also affected the criminal justice system, with no remand prisoners at all being transported to Birmingham Crown Court. An aborted sentencing hearing for a HMP Birmingham inmate convicted of the attempted murder of his wife was told only six members of staff were on duty in the court’s cell block.
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been dealing with the aftermath of Storm Goretti after the winter storm battered the areas with 100mph winds. On Friday morning, Cornwall council recommended that residents avoid travelling as a large number of roads remained closed due to fallen trees, downed power lines and debris.
The stadium of Cornish Pirates rugby club in Penzance has been damaged by Storm Goretti. The roof on the main grandstand at the Mennaye Field has had large chunks torn off it by the strong winds, reports the PA news agency.
The north and north-east of Scotland have seen several days of “intense” snowfall, ice and sub-zero temperatures which have led to school closures and travel disruption. Scotland’s first minister John Swinney said earlier that efforts are now turned towards recovery.
As Storm Goretti sweeps across the UK and pummels parts of the nation with wind, rain and snow, many local authorities in England and Wales activated or extended the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) in recent days – providing emergency accommodation to people sleeping rough who are at risk of harm or death. The Mayor of London’s office announced on X that it had activated SWEP on Friday, the second time this year after activating it on 2 January.
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As Storm Goretti sweeps across the UK and pummels parts of the nation with wind, rain and snow, many local authorities in England and Wales activated or extended the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) in recent days – providing emergency accommodation to people sleeping rough who are at risk of harm or death.
The Mayor of London’s office announced on X that it had activated SWEP on Friday, the second time this year after activating it on 2 January.
It comes as the Manchester Evening News (MEN) reports that two people have died while sleeping rough in Manchester during recent cold weather – Michael Heaton, 26, who was found dead on 30 December, and Anthony Horn, 47, discovered on 26 December.
“Rough sleeping is extremely dangerous all year round, but a night spent in freezing temperatures or in the most extreme weather can be deadly,” Francesca Albanese, executive director of policy and social change at Crisis, told the Guardian. “It’s vital that people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets are helped into safe, emergency accommodation.”
“SWEP saves lives,” Albanese said, but she added that broader action was necessary to boost emergency accommodation throughout the year, as well as greater investment in building social housing and ensuring housing benefit is sufficient for people to cover existing housing costs.
More than 15,000 people experienced rough sleeping in 2024, according to Crisis, up from under 12,000 in 2022. Local Authorities aren’t legally required to activate SWEP, but it’s seen as a humanitarian duty during cold or extreme weather.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army said in a press release: “We ask the public to also look out for rough sleepers and contact Streetlink – thestreetlink.org.uk – to let them know their location. If someone is in immediate danger, or if the person is under 18 years old, call 999.”
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