Storm Darragh tracker LIVE: Latest as Everton vs Liverpool is postponed, 86,000 homes lose power, Met Office issues rare red alert, trains axed, roads and bridges close

A Cardiff resident described a ‘superb effort’ from a council that cleared a tree that fell during Storm Darragh, breaking windows and damaging the wall around a property.

Stuart Cox, 64, said that an approximately 50ft mature tree on Cathedral Road in the Welsh capital fell into his next door neighbour’s garden in the early hours of Saturday.

‘It broke one window two doors down and destroyed next door’s gate. The only damage to ours was the front wall was forced sideways, making the wall unstable and unable to shut the gate,’ the accountant said.

‘The council teams moved to us, after clearing other trees, around 5.30am and were all done by 8am. Superb effort.’

Workers cut a fallen tree blocking the slip road to the M1 to Belfast on December 7 in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland following high winds.

All eight of London’s royal parks are cshut to the public today. A spokesperson posted on their X account:

Due to severe wind gusts caused by Storm Darragh, all of the royal parks will be closed on Saturday 7 December. This closure includes all cafes, kiosks, park roads and cycleways.

Brits have been left reeling in the wake of Storm Darragh after 90mph gales toppled trees, caused buses and cars to drive off the roads and left thousands without power.

Thousands of people across the UK have woken up to no electricity, while fallen trees blocked roads and crushed cars in several parts of the country.

Residents of the most impacted areas in Northern Ireland as well as the western coasts of Wales and England have been urged to stay indoors amid warnings that flying debris and falling trees could pose a danger to life.

Read more of MailOnline’s latest story on the storm below:

This shocking photo shows the roof blown off a house in the seaside town of Porthcawl, in Bridgend county.

The area was battered by strong winds overnight on Friday.

Enjoy these adorable pictures of a Spaniel braving the wind and the rain on a walk in Porthcawl, Wales this morning.

The Met Office has issued a yellow alert for wind for much of England and Wales for a 12-hour period from 6am until 6pm tomorrow.

Part of a fallen tree has hit a car on Greenbank Road in Liverpool.

The red weather warning issued by the Met office this morning has now expired.

There has been no extension to the ‘danger to life’ alert but a series of amber and yellow warnings remain in place across the country.

Storm Darragh has brought travel disruption to Scotland, with wind and rain battering much of the country.

The train line between Ayr and Girvan was shut after a large tree fell onto the tracks, while snow gates were closed on roads in the north-east of Scotland.

Scotrail said services on the line between Girvan and Ayr were disrupted by the tree on the tracks, with Network Rail sending a chainsaw team to the site.

There have been snow gate closures on the A93 and A939 roads, while the southbound A1 was restricted at Eyemouth due to a fallen tree.

CalMac also warned of possible disruptions to ferry sailings on the west coast.

Storm Darragh has thrown sports events across the UK and Ireland into disarray, as gale-force winds and relentless rain force widespread cancellations.

The Met Office has issued red and yellow weather warnings, with officials advising against non-essential outdoor activities.

The severe conditions have had a domino effect, disrupting matches, racing events, and public gatherings.

Almost 400,000 customers have been left without power in Ireland after the country was battered by Storm Darragh.

ESB Networks said as of 7am, approximately 395,000 homes, farms and businesses across the country were without power as a result of the storm.

A spokesperson said their crews and partner contractors began mobilising from early on Saturday morning to assess the damage, make the network safe and restore electricity supply where it was safe to do so.

‘With Met Eireann, wind warnings remaining in place for the entire country until this afternoon, further power outages can be expected from potentially damaging gusts,” they added.

‘Given the extent of the storm, estimated restoration times will be updated throughout the day as fault sites are assessed and restoration work progresses – these will be available on www.PowerCheck.ie.’

Trains and some bus services in Northern Ireland have been suspended until further notice as Storm Darragh hit the island of Ireland.

A number of roads, including Castle Street in Belfast city centre, were closed on Saturday morning while clean up work was carried out after storm damage.

Public transport company Translink said on social media: ‘Due to poor weather conditions all Goldliner services (including Dublin/@DublinAirport and @BelfastAirport buses) and rail services (including Enterprise services) are suspended until further notice.’

Pictured: Rectory Road in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset where a large tree has fallen across the road and brought down a brick wall

Pictured: A fallen tree blocks a road in Oxton, west of Liverpool, on Saturday morning

Walkers on Wimbledon Common, south west London, braved the blustery and rainy conditions this morning.

The Met Office has issued another update this morning with comments from its Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington.

He said: ‘Storm Darragh is now moving across the UK bringing very strong winds, heavy rain and in Scotland some snow over the higher ground.

‘Storm Darragh will gradually ease from late morning as it crosses the UK, so the strongest winds in the west will start to reduce through Saturday.

‘As the low pressure moves away to the east, colder northerly winds will move across the UK bringing the risk of overnight frosts and some wintry showers over high ground in the north on Sunday.

‘By Monday high pressure becomes centred over the north of the UK and conditions will become much more settled.’

Have the national 105 emergency helpline on hand – it’s best to keep this on the fridge or saved in the contacts on your mobile phone.

Store a battery or wind-up torch – leave this somewhere you can access easily so you can use the torch to check on the fuse box and make your way around the house safely.

Beware of fallen power lines – power lines may have fallen because of heavy snow so beware of this when venturing out of your home. Do not approach, and call 105 to report a fallen power line

Keep your mobile charged – having your mobile phone charged means you can call the national 105 emergency helpline. It’s also worth having an analogue phone as this doesn’t run off the main electricity supply.

Keep the heat in – if your power does go out, your heating might not work so keep extra blankets nearby and close window shutters, blinds or curtains to help keep the heat in.

Join the free Priority Services Register – if electricity is crucial to your health (for instance, if you use medical equipment at home), if you have a child aged five or under, or if you just feel you need a little extra help, ask to be included

Source: SP Energy Network

Dozens of events have been called off over the weekend due to safety concerns as Storm Darragh batters the UK, including the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton.

The hotly anticipated clash and the last due to be played at Goodison Park, was postponed this morning due to the adverse weather conditions.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park has also announced it will be closing its array of fairground rides, an ice kingdom and a Christmas market on Saturday because of ‘high winds’.

An airport bus crashed into a property on Ballyrobin Road near Belfast International Airport as Storm Darragh hammers Northern Ireland.

The Energy Networks Association said 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales are without power.

A spokesperson said around 385,000 customers have been reconnected overnight, with more than 1,000 engineers ready to be deployed.

Some Brits feared that WW3 had started’ or ‘aliens had taken over’ when the government issued a rare emergency alert to millions of yesterday.

The warning was sent to those in areas covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England.

However, some have reported receiving the alert later than expected with their phone alerting in the middle of the night waking them up at 3am.

The clean up operation is underway on Castle Street in Belfast city centre after overnight damage caused by Storm Darragh.

• CrossCountry and Great Western Railway have cancelled a number of services and have arned people against travelling
• Avanti West Coast has suspended services between Holyhead and Chester. Disruption has also been reported around Wolverhampton
• Transport for Wales has warned of significant disruption an suspended several routes.
• Northern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express have all also reported disruption to services

Saturday afternoon meetings have been postponed at the world-famous Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool due to Storm Darragh.

Pictures show collapsed railings and hedges at the racecourse.

Air traffic control provider Nats has said temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at Heathrow and Gatwick due to Storm Darragh.

A spokesman said: ‘Due to Storm Darragh today temporary air traffic restrictions are in place. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.

‘We are monitoring closely and our Met Office expert embedded within our operation is ensuring we have the latest available information.

‘Our teams are working closely with airports and airlines to minimise disruption.

‘Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.’

Email olivia.christie@mailonline.co.uk to share your story

National Grid has said more than 55,000 customers have no power supply across the South West, South Wales and the West Midlands due to Storm Darragh.

It said the majority of these were in South Wales.

Around 376,000 customers have had their power restored by its teams since the start of the storm.

Distruption has been reported at airports across the UK this morning due to the storm.

Cardiff Aiport has closed its runway until 11am, while Gatwick and Heathrow have both warned of potential delays.

Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport have reported some delays and cancellations.

Here are some pictures of planes trying to land and take off at Leeds Bradford Airport in Storm Darragh

Photos show huge waves battering the seaside town of Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, Wales overnight.

All footabll matches in Wales have been postpones today by the FA on the advice of the Met Office.

‘It is not safe to drive in such weather, including travelling to and from football matches,” the association said in a statement on its website.

‘Clubs have been advised to check for and secure any loose items around their grounds if it can be done safely. This includes bins, furniture, goalposts, and fences etc.’

The runway at Cardiff Airport has been closed between 3am and 11am this morning as Wales bears the brunt of Storm Darragh.

A statement on their website reads: ‘Passengers due to fly this weekend are advised to contact their airline or tour operator, as we do anticipate some disruption.’

The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool has been called off due to Storm Darragh.

The match, due to kick-off at Goodison Park at 12.30pm, was the final derby to be played at the stadium.

• The Prince of Wales Bridge, M4 and the Severn Bridge, M48, which connect South West England to Wales have all been closed due to strong winds.
• Network Rail has suspended all train services west of Cardiff until further notice due to trees blocking the line.
• The QEII Bridge at the Dartford Crossing is closed due to strong winds. Drivers are now being diverted through the tunnel.

The Met Office has issued a series of weather warnings across the UK today as Storm Darragh moves in.

Check out the map below to see how your area has been affected.

The UK government has sent an emergency alert to the mobile phones of millions of Britons as Storm Darragh is set to spark flooding and travel chaos this weekend.

Brits in the worst hit areas were urged to ‘stay indoors’ and to strap down their Christmas decorations as the Met Office issued a rare ‘danger to life’ red warning for today.

Three million people across parts of southwest England and Wales received the warning at 6.45pm yesterday.

As of 5am today, National Grid reported more than 12,600 premises had lost power in the Midlands and south-west and more than 20,000 homes had been disconnected in Wales.

And in North Wales gusts have reached 92mph.

The red weather warning, the most severe that can be issued by the Met Office is expected to stay in place until 11am today.

The UK government has sent an emergency alert to the mobile phones of millions of Britons, urging them to stay at home.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Storm Darragh.

The storm made landfall overnight and is expected to bring significant disruption across the UK today.

Wind speeds of up to 92mph have already been recorded in North Wales with thousands of homes left without power.

A rare ‘danger to life warning’ has also been issued across parts of the UK with orange and yellow alerts also in place.

Stick with us for the latest updates on Saturday’s weather and stay safe!