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Two men die as gale-force winds hit UK
 
From: NEWS AGENCY
Sat, 27 Nov 2021   ||   United Kingdom, UK
 

Saturday 27th November 2021: Two men have been killed by falling trees as Storm Arwen lashed parts of the UK with high winds, rain and snow.
Francis Lagan

A head teacher died after a tree fell onto his car in Antrim and another man was hit by a falling tree in Cumbria. In Scotland, more than 100,000 people lost power.
Gusts reached speeds of 98mph in Northumberland, and about 120 lorries became stuck in snow on the M62.
There are further warnings for wind, snow and ice across the UK on Saturday.
A rare red warning for wind had been issued by the Met Office on Friday across the east coast of Scotland and north-east England, with the highest speeds of 98mph recorded at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.

Workmen block off an area of fallen masonry from a property, which has damaged a nearby car, on Gloucester Avenue in Roker, Sunderland
Gusts overnight affected "a wide swathe of the United Kingdom", the Met Office said, with buildings damaged and trees blown down.
 Gusts of 87mph were recorded at Orlock Head, County Down, while Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland saw speeds of 78mph, and Aberporth in Wales had gusts of up to 77mph.
The man who died when a falling tree hit his car in Northern Ireland was named as the principal of St Mary's Primary School in Maghera, Francis Lagan.
Education lost a "giant in his prime" with the death of Francis Lagan, fellow teachers said in tribute
Police in Cumbria said a man from Lancaster was killed after a tree fell on him in Ambleside on Friday evening.
In Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, high winds tore the roof off an animal shelter, leading to the death of one newborn puppy.
LNER advised customers not to travel north of York on Saturday or Sunday, saying they were unable to transport passengers between Newcastle and Edinburgh due to significant damage to the rail network.
ScotRail also withdrew services between Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness on Friday and there was disruption on other lines.
 
Passengers in Aberdeenshire were stuck on a train for 17 hours as Storm Arwen swept across Scotland.
Mark Swinglehurst, 62, told the BBC the train had reached Huntly at about 17:00 GMT on Friday before coming to a halt.
Asked about the experience, he said: "I don't think it will get rave reviews on any sort of travel site."
He said it had been cold but comfortable and although there was a lack of refreshments initially, staff managed to secure bacon rolls and pies for the stranded passengers during their ordeal.
Meanwhile, dozens of people - including an Oasis tribute band - were trapped by heavy snow at Britain's highest pub.
About 3ft of snow fell at the Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales, which is 1,732ft (528m) above sea level, meaning 60 people were unable to leave.
Beds in the pub's lounge area were set up for the 20 guests who had not planned an overnight stay, but the pub said it had plenty of supplies to keep people warm and fed.
Sleet has fallen across parts of Scotland and northern England with some heavy snow on higher ground.
Part of the M62 near Rochdale between junctions 21 and 22 was closed, with 120 lorries stuck in the snow after one of them jack-knifed.
More than 100,000 homes in Scotland lost power in the storm, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks saying electricity had been restored to 40,000 by 09:30 on Saturday.
Northern Powergrid reported outages for 55,000 customers in north-east England, mainly in Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear, while 88,000 customers in the Midlands, Cheshire, Merseyside, Wales and south-west England were still without power at midday on Saturday.
A police van was crushed by a tree in Aberdeenshire as officers dealt with an incident nearby
Huge waves crashed against the sea wall at Roker lighthouse in Sunderland as high winds continued across parts of the UK on Saturday
In Wales, reality TV show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here was forced to abandon its live show and broadcast pre-recorded footage as a precautionary measure due to Storm Arwen.
ITV said hosts Ant and Dec recorded their links before transmission while the celebrities remained secure inside the Welsh castle.
In County Durham, the roof of the clubhouse came off at Chester-le-Street Town FC, landing on the pitch of the Northern League division two team.
The red warning for high wind was issued for the east coast from Middlesbrough to Aberdeen until 02:00 on Saturday, and prompted police in Scotland to warn people not to travel "under any circumstances".
Temperatures were set to fall with the storm and a yellow warning for ice, lasting until 11:00 on Sunday, has been issued large stretches of northern and eastern Scotland, along with much of northern England.

Waves crashing against the sea wall at Roker lighthouse in Sunderland
Yellow Met Office warnings for high winds remain in place until 18:00 on Saturday, covering most of England and Wales, as well as the east coast of Northern Ireland.
BBC Weather's Ben Rich said parts of eastern England could see sleet on Saturday afternoon, with some potential for snow on higher ground.
Strong winds will remain across the UK on Saturday but gusts are not expected to rise above 50mph.
In the early hours of Sunday, parts of north-west Scotland might receive more snow, while temperatures in Scotland and northern England could fall as low as -6C.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather alert, which is in place from 18:00 on Friday until 15:00 on Monday.
The government body is advising people to check on older neighbours and relatives, especially those who live alone or have a serious illness.

 

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