Man dies after tree falls on van as Storm Darragh continues to wreak havoc

A man has died after a tree fell onto his van as Storm Darragh [1] spread to the UK this morning. Gusts of 93m/ph have been recorded in some parts of the UK, while millions of people have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power, and trains have been cancelled. A Lancashire Police investigation is under way after the force was called at around 9am on Saturday to the A59 at Longton, near Preston.

The man in his 40s was driving his Citroen van on the dual carriageway when the tree fell onto his vehicle. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by a specially trained officer. Detective Sgt Matt Davidson, of the serious collision investigation unit, said: "Very sadly this incident has resulted in the death of a man and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time."

The UK Government's "risk to life" alert came into effect at 1am on Saturday and was sent to people within the area covered by the Met Office's rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England. It was the largest use of the warning system yet, with the alert urging residents to avoid driving and to "stay indoors if you can".

A person walks a dog on Clontarf Promenade in Dublin. Storm Darragh is approaching the UK and Ireland and is expected to bring winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain on Friday and into the weekend.

Picture date: Friday December 6, 2024.

Speaking to Sky News, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described the storm as a "challenging situation". He added: "About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice."

The Cabinet Office's emergency alert system sent a message to every compatible mobile phone in the impacted areas, containing information about the red warning and guidance on how to stay safe. Mobile phones made a loud siren-like sound even if they were set on silent, with the sound and vibration lasting for about 10 seconds, although some people claimed they did not receive it. The Met Office confirmed to the PA news agency that wind gusts of up to 93m/ph were recorded overnight in Capel Curig in North Wales, with 92m/ph in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula.

Winds in other parts of Wales, Northern Ireland and south-west England topped 80m/ph. Small businesses near the Bristol Channel in Somerset said tiles had flown off their buildings and they had faced delivery issues.

Part of a fallen tree which has hit a car on Greenbank Road in Liverpool. Millions have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power and trains have been cancelled as the Government's "risk to life" alert brought on by Storm Darragh came into force.

Picture date: Saturday December 7, 2024.

Eleanor Sedgwick, 23, a front-of-house supervisor at Scarlett's in Clevedon, said the cafe did not open on Saturday morning because it was "too big of a risk". She told the PA news agency: "The years that I've worked here, I've never had to close because of the weather [4], apart from when it snowed." Ms Sedgwick said four tiles fell off their roof but she felt the business had "got off quite lucky" compared with previous storms.

She added: "We're very fortunate because we are the first sort of wall (the storm) hit, so it's scary but I'm glad that everyone's happy and safe." Ben England, 47, manager of the Tiffin cafe on the same beachfront, said: "Last night we put all the (outside) chairs under wraps and tried to make it as secure as possible.

Waves crash over the seafront in Porthcawl in Wales. Millions have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power and trains have been cancelled as the Government's "risk to life" alert brought on by Storm Darragh came into force.

Picture date: Saturday December 7, 2024.

"Some of our deliveries didn't make it through from Bristol, but I think we should be OK. I cancelled probably 80 per cent of our staff that were coming in today, so it's literally just the skeleton crew." Both Ms Sedgwick and Mr England said they were surprised at the number of customers venturing out.

Cardiff resident Stuart Cox, 64, told the PA news agency that an approximately 50ft mature tree in 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." Thousands of people in Ireland, England and Wales were left without power.

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References

^ Storm Darragh (www.irishmirror.ie)
^ Storm Darragh leaves almost 400,000 without power in Ireland (www.irishmirror.ie)
^ When will Storm Darragh end?
Met Eireann weather warning remains in place after wind wreaks havoc (www.irishmirror.ie)
^ weather (www.irishmirror.ie)
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