LONDON, Dec 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Tens of thousands of people across the UK
were left without power on Saturday morning after Storm Darragh hit the
country with strong winds and caused pre-Christmas travel disruption.

The UK's Met Office had issued a rare red alert for high winds overnight to
Saturday morning (0300 to 1100 GMT) covering parts of Wales and southwest
England.

The government warned three million people living in the area with a siren-
like alert on their phones to stay at home on Friday night.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the storm posed a "challenging
situation".

"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," Reynolds told Sky News on Saturday.

Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, is also expected to bring
heavy rain through the weekend, with more than 100 flood warnings and alerts
in place across the UK.

In Wales, the Met Office estimated gusts of up to 150 kmph (93 mph), which
knocked out power for over 50,000 people, according to the PA news agency.

Power cuts affected 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales, according to
the Energy Networks Association.

Network Rail Wales suspended trains on the Welsh northern coast due to a
"fallen tree blocking the line", and several bridges in southern England and
Wales were closed for safety reasons.

A separate amber warning, which is less serious than the red alert but still
poses "potential risk to life and property", covering a larger stretch of the
UK and Northern Ireland is in place until Saturday night.

In Northern Ireland, thousands were left without power, and several bus and
train services were suspended or delayed.

Christmas markets and sporting events were postponed, including the
Merseyside derby between Premier League leaders Liverpool and Everton.

In Ireland, which issued an "orange" wind warning, 400,000 people were left
without electricity, according to the RTE news agency.

Dublin Airport said a "a number of flights scheduled for Saturday morning
have been cancelled by airlines" due to the storm.

Darragh comes two weeks after Storm Bert battered much of Britain, causing
"devastating" flooding in parts of Wales and knocking out power to thousands
of homes in Ireland.