Thousands without power in Wales after Storm Darragh wind

Estimated read time 3 min read
BBC A large white half bed lorry block a rural road line by trees and an stone fence on one side. Trees are down on the fence and logs have been sawed and pilled on a grassy verge. in the far background a man in a high viz top and trousers is stand beside another pile of thick logs stacked on the road. BBC

The clean up of downed trees is happening all over Wales, including this clean up crew on the B4422, Anglesey

About 67,000 homes and businesses are still without power across Wales after Storm Darragh battered large parts of the country.

Despite extreme winds easing, a yellow Met Office weather warning remained in place across Wales until 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

It comes after a day of widespread damage and travel disruption from winds that gusted to 94mph (150 km/h).

Numerous roads are still closed, with one council boss issuing a plea to drivers to stay off the roads while they are cleared. Meanwhile, train services are mostly cancelled, as are ferry sailings to and from Ireland.

Phone warnings, crushed cars and damaged homes – how Storm Darragh ripped through Wales

The leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, Andrew Morgan, told BBC Politics Wales there were thousands of downed trees across the country.

“Luckily, we didn’t get the severe rain that was suggested,” said Morgan, who is also the council leader in Rhondda Cynon Taf where Storm Bert inflicted heavy flooding damage in November.

Damaged buildings include some schools, he said, and debris on the roads remained a problem in many areas.

“We’ve asked people is to try and avoid travel if they can just for [Sunday]… in terms of clearing highways.”

Scottish Power three workers in high viz clothing standing beside a white van parked beside a telegraph poll which has a cherry picker beside it and another worker reaching up towards a the wiresScottish Power

Scottish Power says it is working to restore supply to thousands of customers

National Grid said there were about 48,000 properties without power in mid and south Wales.

Scottish Power said about 18,500 properties, mainly across north and mid Wales, were also without power.

“This is one of the worst storms we’ve seen in a long time,” said Liam O’Sullivan from Scottish Power.

Strong winds hampered repair efforts overnight, he added, but with the weather subsiding, he added that the company had “every team available working to get people back on supply”.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said there were a handful of flood warnings – the second highest alert – in effect.

There are still road closures across Wales, including the M48 Severn Bridge in Monmouthshire, due to high winds.

Transport for Wales is asking passengers to check timetables before travelling as many trains are not running

Great Western Railway said the severe weather had left all lines blocked between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen, with services “unlikely” to resume before 12:00.

A trampoline sitting upright in the middle of a stream. And small tree is also uprooted and lying across the river

Trampoline or bridge? The extreme winds blew items away, including someone’s trampoline in Penrhyncoch, Ceredigion

Irish Ferries cancelled service to and from Wales for most of Sunday, with some Pembroke and Holyhead sailings scheduled for later.

The last red warning in Wales was during 2022’s Storm Eunice, which left tens of thousands of people without power.

NRW said before the storm the amount of rain expected would be less than that which fell during Storm Bert, which wrought havoc across Wales last month.

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