Winds top 80mph as Storm Pia hits UK

Winds of more than 80mph battered the northern half parts of the UK as Storm Pia threatened to bring chaos to pre-Christmas travel plans.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind, across north Wales stretching north from Birmingham to the Shetland Islands and including Northern Ireland, remaining in place until 3pm on Thursday.

That had been brought forward from 9pm as the Met Office said the worst of the wind was expected to be in the morning, with conditions slowly easing.

The yellow warning means journeys could be disrupted, there was the potential for power cuts and coastal routes could be affected by waves or spray.

Warning

National Rail reported that routes across Wales, Scotland and parts of England were affected, and speed restrictions were in place on lines within the weather warning area.

People on social media reported their sleep had been disturbed by Storm Pia, not officially named by the Met Office, but given named status by the Danish authorities where it was expected to have an even greater impact than in the UK.

Oli Claydon, a Met Office spokesman, said while the winds will ease through the day, it will remain breezy.

As conditions improve in the UK, the storm will pass over into northern Europe, bringing strong winds to Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, he said.