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Follow the latest updates as extreme conditions bring disruption across country
Trains, flights and ferries have been cancelled and severe weather warnings issued as Storm Ciara was forecast to pummel the UK with winds of up to 80mph.
At least 10 rail companies have issued “do not travel” warnings and nearly 20 others have told passengers to expect delays due to strong winds which could damage overhead electrical wires and produce debris on tracks.
Nearly 80 flood warnings are also in place across the UK as the Met Office warned of heavy rain on Sunday from the storm.
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Storm Ciara causes BBC One to go off air
BBC One temporarily went off air just after 11am this morning due to technical issues caused by Storm Ciara.
“Stormy conditions” forced the channel to go down for about 10 minutes as the connection with the BBC’s Salford studio in Greater Manchester was interrupted.
“It seems that the stormy conditions up in Salford are causing us some problems. We are working as hard as we can against the weather to get back to The Big Questions and Nicky [Campbell] in Salford as quickly as we can,” a BBC announcer said.
You can find the full details on the story below:
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has a report on the tens of thousands of airline passengers who have been hit by cancellations due to Storm Ciara.
The Independent’s travel desk has calculated at least 25,000 passengers will have been affected by cancellations as Heathrow airport has reduced its schedule due to strong winds.
“Like all airlines operating in to and out of the UK tomorrow, we will be affected by Storm Ciara,” British Airways has said.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do, so we’re merging a number of flights to avoid operating when the winds are at their strongest.”
North Yorkshire Police said they also received a call reporting “a shed that had blown onto a road and blocked it”.
In the north western areas of England, 2,679 properties had their power knocked out by strong gusts overnight on Saturday.
Storm Ciara whips up rough seas in north-west Wales, following gusts of up to 86mph on Saturday.
Several ferry services between Wales and Ireland have been cancelled.
“It’s been a busy night responding to flooding incidents along with a flood rescue this morning,” South Shore Fire Station tweeted.
“Thankfully, our flood rescue hero’s Richard and Katherine were happy to get wet.”
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is warning people to be careful around the coast during Storm Ciara as gusts over 80mph bring large waves up.
Guy Addington, Regional Water Safety Lead at the RNLI said: “This rough weather could make visiting our coasts around the UK and Ireland treacherous and bring very dangerous sea conditions.
“Sadly, around 150 people accidentally lose their lives around UK and Irish waters each year and over half of these people didn’t plan on ever entering the water.
“Slips, trips and falls can be a major factor in these kinds of incidents. If you see someone else in danger in the water, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If you have something that floats that they can hold on to, throw it to them.
“Don’t go in the water yourself — too many people drown trying to save others.”
Here’s our overnight report on the expected disruption from Storm Ciara:
A British Airways flight has reached speeds of more than 800mph, likely breaking the fastest-ever subsonic New York to London crossing time on the back of Storm Ciara.
According to online flight tracking service, Flightradar24, a British Airways Boeing 747 reached Heathrow from JFK airport on Saturday in 4 hours 56 minutes, shortly after 11.20pm.
The strong gusts from the storm appear to have precipitated something of a competition among airlines over the Atlantic today, as the BA flight was just a minute faster than a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350 – which landed at Heathrow moments later, and three minutes quicker than another Virgin plane which arrived at 5.12am this morning.
BA and Virgin smashed the previous record held by Norwegian, which reached London Gatwick from JFK in 5 hours 13 minutes in January 2018.
Here’s the full story:
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings as very strong winds and heavy rain could “lead to injuries or danger to life” as Storm Ciara buffets the UK today.
Amber and yellow weather warnings are in place across the entire country, with significant travel disruptions expected throughout the day.
Strong gusts up to 80mph could send debris flying, as well as large waves and “beach material” on the coasts, resulting in injuries or “danger to life”, warned the Met Office.
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of Storm Ciara. Updates will be added throughout the day.
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