Storm Eunice: Britain battered by killer 122mph winds – stronger than Great Storm of 1987 – as gales wreak destruction

BRITAIN has today been battered by killer 122mph winds - stronger than the gales of the Great Storm of 1987 - and there's MORE to come.

Storm Eunice left a trail of destruction in just hours -  downing power lines, blowing over lorries, uprooting trees and tearing a huge hole in London's O2 - with Brits told to stay at home.

Four people have been killed by falling trees and debris during heavy winds.

One man died this morning after being struck by a falling tree amid the chaos in Co Wexford, Ireland.

Another man, in his 50s, died in Netherton, Merseyside, after debris struck the windscreen of a vehicle he was travelling in, cops said.

Meanwhile a woman in her 30s was killed after a tree fell on her car in Haringey, North London.

And a motorist is understood to have lost their life when a large tree fell and crushed their vehicle in Alton, East Hampshire. 

Three people were taken to hospital - one with serious injuries - after a tree fell on a car in Wiltshire, while two others were hurt in a balcony collapse in London.

Today's gales are believed to be the highest ever recorded in England, according to the Met Office.

The severe conditions had sparked to rare red weather warnings, including covering London, with "danger to life" alerts for flying debris.

The Met Office downgraded the red warning across the south west to amber on Friday afternoon - while a red warning remained in place for London and the south east.

Roads are closed across the UK, and airports have cancelled hundreds of flights amid the chaos.

The worst hit region - the Isle of Wight - this morning recorded wind gusts of 122mph - even stronger than the Great Storm of 1987 when 18 people were killed.

Speeds of 120mph were recorded during the battering 35 years ago, after forecaster Michael Fish wrongly denied claims a hurricane was going to hit.

Storm Eunice latest...

• An emergency Cobra meeting has been called today in response to the red warnings
• Motorists are warned to NOT travel by RAC unless absolutely necessary
• Deliveroo and Uber Eats SHUT DOWN in some areas as Storm Eunice sparks delivery chaos
• All trains in Wales cancelled for Friday
• Schools are closed as pupils are told to stay at home
• Brits bracing for 100mph winds and 8inches snow in the north
• Seven train networks have
• Met Office upgraded storm to red warning - bringing 'danger to life'
• Urgent airport warnings are issued and flights CANCELLED as Storm Eunice wreaks havoc on half-term travel
• Legoland, Chessington World of Adventures, Longleat and London Eye are closed on Friday because of severe weather
• Thirteen pedigree dogs were electrocuted to death after a falling power line crashed onto a kennel

More than 100 people are trapped on a ferry in the middle of the sea off the coast of Portsmouth.

Around 90 passengers and 13 members of crew are onboard the Wightlink ferry, which was forced to anchor after winds reached a record 122mph making it too dangerous to cross.

And in London, part of the roof of the O2 in London was ripped off as the wind raged.

The venue said in a statement: "Due to today’s adverse weather conditions, we can confirm that there has been some damage caused to the tent fabric in our roof at The O2.

"The affected areas have been cleared and The O2 will remain closed for the rest of the day.

"Tonight’s AP Dhillon show at indigo at The O2 is being rescheduled to Tuesday 22nd February. Please check the event page for further info.

"The safety of our visitors remains of paramount importance, and we will continue to assess the ongoing situation and act accordingly."

The Port of Dover was also been shut down "in the interests of customer and staff safety" but has now reopened shipping and some ferry services.

Elsewhere, trees are blocking roads, power lines have fallen across railways, and bricks have been blown off buildings during the havoc.

South Western Railway said at least 30 fallen trees were blocking key routes and as a result, all services have been suspended until at least 6pm.

Six other operators have also cancelled all trains until further notice, including c2c, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Southeastern and Transport for Wales.

🔵 Read our weather forecast live blog for the latest updates

Now, soldiers are bracing for deployment in hardest hit regions with Brits hunkering down at home as they are told to avoid travel and work from home where possible.

And a major incident has been declared in Suffolk, while 55,000 homes, farm and businesses woke up to no power in Ireland this morning and another 85,000 houses were left in the dark across England and Wales.

Two red warnings were in force for southern England - one covering the south east from Ipswich to Portsmouth, including London, and the other stretching from Cardiff down to the furthest tip of Cornwall.

The warning for the south west was later downgraded to amber, while the red warning remained in place for London until 3pm.

It is the first time such an alert has been issued in the capital, sparking the London Mayor to urge Brits to batten down the hatches and stay inside.

Sadiq Khan said: "Storm Eunice will bring damaging winds which pose a risk to life today.

"Please stay at home, do not take risks, and do not travel unless absolutely essential."

London Fire Brigade declared a "major incident" due to the volume of 999 calls in the capital.

Today is the first time red warnings have been issued since Storm Arwen in November last year, second to the Beast from the East in 2018.

But as well as some areas turning red, an amber warning covers almost the entirety of England, while yellow wind warnings are in place for north-eastern England, south-western Scotland and the east coast of Northern Ireland.

Yellow warnings are also in force until midday on Monday, so Brits are in for a wild weekend.

FLOOD WARNINGS

The storm is expected to bring almost 28ft waves along the coast of south west England, experts at the University of Portsmouth said.

Ten severe flood warnings, 26 flood warnings and 93 flood alerts are in force in England, while Wales has 113 warnings and 23 alerts in place.

In Scotland, there are 10 warnings and four alerts.

On top of the wind, two yellow warnings for snow cover the north of England Scotland and Northern Ireland until 6pm today.

All the predictions have prompted an emergency Cobra meeting this afternoon where ministers will thrash out a response to the mega gale.

Eunice is the second storm to hit the UK in a week after Dudley left thousands of homes without power in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "After the impacts from Storm Dudley for many on Wednesday, Storm Eunice will bring damaging gusts in what could be one of the most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years.

"The red warning areas indicate a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris."