Thousands without power in Wales after Storm Darragh wind

4 days ago

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Trees were down on roads across Wales, including this obstacle for drivers in Blackwood, Caerphilly county

Storm Darragh - Figure 1
Photo BBC News

About 76,000 homes and businesses are still without power across Wales after Storm Darragh battered large parts of the country.

Despite extreme winds easing, a yellow Met Office weather warning remains in place across Wales until 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

It comes after a day of widespread damage and travel disruption from winds that gusted to 94mph (150 km/h).

Numerous roads are still closed, train services are mostly cancelled, as are ferry sailings to and from Ireland.

Phone warnings, crushed cars and damaged homes - how Storm Darragh ripped through Wales

National Grid said there were almost 55,000 properties without power in mid and south Wales.

Storm Darragh - Figure 2
Photo BBC News

Scottish Power said about 21,000 properties, mainly across north and mid Wales, were also without power.

"This is one of the worst storms we've seen in a long time," said Liam O'Sullivan from Scottish Power.

Strong winds hampered repair efforts overnight, he added, but with the weather subsiding, he added that the company had "every team available working to get people back on supply".

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said there were 14 flood warnings - the second highest alert - in effect.

There are still road closures across Wales, including the M48 Severn Bridge in Monmouthshire, due to high winds.

Storm Darragh - Figure 3
Photo BBC News

Transport for Wales is asking passengers to check timetables before travelling as many trains are not running

Great Western Railway said the severe weather had left all lines blocked between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen, with services "unlikely" to resume before 12:00.

Trampoline or bridge? The extreme winds blew items away, including someone's trampoline in Penrhyncoch, Ceredigion

Irish Ferries cancelled service to and from Wales for most of Sunday, with some Pembroke and Holyhead sailings scheduled for later.

The last red warning in Wales was during 2022's Storm Eunice, which left tens of thousands of people without power.

NRW said before the storm the amount of rain expected would be less than that which fell during Storm Bert, which wrought havoc across Wales last month.

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