STORM Darragh has caused travel chaos – with trains cancelled, thousands left without power and roofs blown off by 70km/h winds.
Britons have been warned to brace for more strong winds after two people died in Storm Darragh yesterday.
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A fallen tree in Cardiff crushed a Porsche overnight Credit: Getty
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Stranded passengers at London’s Victoria train station Credit: LNP
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Monster wave hits Aberystwyth Credits: LNP
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The storm will affect England and Wales today
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Storm knocks roof off Welsh rugby club Credit: Briton Ferry RFC/Media Wales
Northern Ireland was exposed to wind gusts of up to 80 mph overnight.
A new Met Office yellow wind warning came into force for much of England and Wales at 6am.
More widely, there will likely be gusts of 35-45 mph inland, even up to 70 mph around the coasts during the morning.
This means further travel disruptions and power cuts are likely until 6pm, the Met Office said.
Storm Darragh brought gusts of 93mph to some parts of the country yesterday, which also left 22 people trapped in a North Yorkshire forest overnight.
The group, which included a two-year-old child, was caught after the storm knocked down trees and power lines, blocking their exit.
Taking refuge in a cafe inside the 8,000 acre Dalby Forest, they all managed to stay safe.
Millions were warned to stay indoors – tens of thousands were left without power and trains were cancelled.
National Rail said disruption was expected through Tottenham Hale until 9am this morning.
Trains to and from London Victoria are also facing “major disruption” due to a signaling fault.
While hundreds of passengers were spotted crowding around the departure board at Euston station in London.
The M48 at the Severn Bridge will be closed in both directions between J1 and J2 until at least midday.
Oxford’s main thoroughfare, Headington Hill Road, was also closed after a falling tree smashed through a barrier wall.
Wightlink said ferries departing Portsmouth at 8am and Fishbourne at 9am were cancelled, along with the 7.15am and 8.15am Fastcat services from Portsmouth Harbor and the 7.45am and 8.45am services from Ryde Pier Head.
The Met Office said heavy rain was expected to continue in central and eastern parts of England throughout Sunday, with 20-25mm forecast to fall across most of the country.
As much as 60mm could fall on high areas of the Cheviots, Pennines and North York Moors.
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Commuters at London Euston station as Storm Darragh causes travel disruptionCredit: LNP
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The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for winds of up to 45mph in certain parts of the country, with disruption expected at many train stations Credit: LNP
TRAGIC DEATHS
Two men were killed Saturday after falling trees hit their vehicles.
The latest victim was killed when a tree fell and hit his car on Silver Birch Road in Erdington on Saturday afternoon.
Sergeant Benjamin Parsons said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time and his next of kin have been informed.”
The road was closed and motorists were urged to avoid the area.
Earlier in the day, a man died after a tree fell on his van in Lancashire.
The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at around 9am on Saturday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detective Sergeant Matt Davidson said: “Unfortunately this incident has resulted in the death of a man.
“Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
“I would ask anyone who saw what happened or has any dashcam or cell phone footage to come forward.”
A storm brought a huge tree down on a parked Porsche in Cardiff – a write-off.
It also knocked the roofs off several kiosks at Llandudno Dock, as well as a restaurant in Cornwall.
A box on a power pole exploded in North Staffordshire – causing a massive blackout.
Imran Younas, 37, crawled out of the hired BMW he was driving uninjured when he was hit by an uprooted tree in Lode Lane, Solihull, West Midlands, on Saturday.
How the ‘luckiest man in Britain’ survived the storm unscathed
By Emily Jane-Heap
A DAD whose car was crushed by a fallen tree during Storm Darragh says he feels like “the luckiest man in Britain” after miraculously surviving the ordeal without a scratch. Paramedics arrived at the scene to examine him – but he was allowed to go home after they found he had no injuries.
He told The Sun: “All of a sudden I heard a big bang from the back of the car and the airbags went off.
“The first thing I did was take off my seat belt, feel for the doorknob and crawl out. It was like something out of the movie Final Destination.
“The car was a total write-off but I didn’t even have a scratch on it… I was very shaken up afterwards but now I feel like the luckiest man in Britain.
“If anyone had been in the back of the car, I don’t think they would have made it.”
Construction project manager Imran, who has been working in Saudi Arabia for the past three years, returned to the UK for two weeks to visit his wife and two-year-old daughter.
He was traveling 65 miles from Gloucester to his home in Birmingham, after dropping his mother-in-law home, when the accident happened.
The father-of-one joked that he came to appreciate BMW after getting out of the wreck alive, adding: “German cars really live up to their standards – I have a lot of respect for them now.”
He is now looking forward to returning to the Middle East after his nightmare accident.
He said, “It made me want to go back to the desert because there are no trees there.”
Storm Darragh wreaked havoc across the UK at the weekend after bringing winds of up to 90km/h in places.
Two people died when their vehicles were hit by falling trees on Saturday.
A man in his 40s died when his Citroen van crashed on the A59 at Longton near Preston, Lancs at around 9am, while another man was killed when a tree fell and hit his car in Erdington, West Midlands, in the afternoon.
Nearly 145,000 families woke up without power Sunday morning after high winds knocked down power lines overnight.
‘DANGER TO LIFE’
The government’s life threatening warning came into force at 1am yesterday.
A warning has been sent to people within the red wind warning area for parts of Wales and south-west England.
The Energy Networks Association said 259,000 customers across England, Scotland and Wales were without power as of last night.
It said 80 percent of homes affected by the storm had been reconnected.
The Environment Agency issued 64 flood warnings in England on Sunday morning, meaning flooding is expected.
Natural Resources Wales said 25 flood warnings were active across the country.
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Trains to and from London Victoria face ‘major disruption’ due to signaling faultCredit: Reuters
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A fallen tree smashed a car’s windscreen in CardiffCredit: WNS
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