The areas worst affected as UK hit with 90mph winds

Two people were killed on Saturday as Storm Darragh hit the country with wind speeds of up to 93mph, causing widespread travel disruption and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.

Energy Networks Association said 259,000 customers across England, Scotland and Wales were without power as of Saturday evening, but that 80% of homes affected had since been reconnected.

It comes after the UK government’s “risk to life” alert came into effect at 1am on Saturday. Millions of people in parts of South West England and Wales covered by a red warning for wind were advised to stay indoors.

Two men were killed on Saturday after falling trees hit their vehicles on Saturday, one in Erdington in the West Midlands and another near Preston, Lancashire.

As clean-up operations get under way across the country, a yellow weather warning for wind remains in place for all of England and Wales until 6pm on Sunday.

Heavy rain is expected to persist in central and eastern parts of England throughout Sunday, the Met Office says, with 20-25mm forecast to fall across much of the country, and 60mm in some areas. More than 50 flood warnings were in put in place across England by the Environment Agency.

Here, Yahoo News takes a look at some of the areas worst affected by Storm Darragh.

Wales

With Storm Darragh approaching Great Britain from the west, Wales was particularly vulnerable to the storm, with coastal areas of the country placed under a rare Met Office red alert.

Although the worst of the storm is now over, a number of Transport for Wales services remain suspended, with the operator advising customers not to travel on Sunday.

As of Sunday morning, nine flood warnings had been issued by Natural Resources Wales, along with 19 flood alerts, covering both the north and south of the country.

Firefighters pump away floodwater in the rural village of Pontrhydfendigaid on Saturday. (Alamy)

A kiosk blown onto its side on the pier at Llandudno in north Wales. (Getty Images)

A fallen tree blocking a road on Llantwit road, Pontypridd. (Alamy)

Strong winds battered the coast of Aberystwyth. (Alamy)

West Midlands

Hundreds of trees were toppled over in the West Midlands on Saturday, one of which fell onto a car and killed the driver.

In a statement on Saturday, West Midlands Police said the man was killed on Silver Birch Road, Erdington, shortly after 3pm.

Sgt Benjamin Parsons said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed. A report will be passed onto the coroner. Anyone who saw what happened or who may have dashcam or mobile phone footage, is asked to please get in touch.”

Three of four lanes on the M42 between Solihull and Birmingham Airport/NEC were closed last night after a van was hit by a tree, BirminghamLive reports, while overnight roadworks were cancelled due to the storm.

Emergency workers at the scene in Sutton Road, Erdington, Birmingham after a man was killed by a falling tree. (Alamy)

The driver in Erdington was one of two people to be killed by the storm. (Alamy)

A road partially blocked off in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, on Saturday night. (Alamy)

Somerset

A number of roads remain closed across Somerset after Storm Darragh brought trees and power cables crashing down.

Thousands of homes in region were still without power on Sunday morning, with gusts of up to 50mph expected in some parts today.

Small businesses near the Bristol Channel in Somerset said tiles had flown off their buildings and they had faced delivery issues.

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”.

An uprooted tree which fell on homes in Burnham-on-Sea on Saturday. (Alamy)

A fallen tree blocks the main A367 road in Stratton-on-the-Fosse. (Getty Images)

Contractors work to clear a fallen tree in Burnham-on-Sea. (Getty Images)

Northern Ireland

Train lines have reopened in Northern Ireland, but thousands of homes remained without power on Sunday morning after gusts of up to 70mph caused extensive damage to the region’s electricity network.

Around 48,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. Co Antrim saw the most impact, with power station EP Ballylumford temporarily halting electricity generation on Saturday following damage to a chimney and scores of roads blocked by fallen trees.

A bus also crashed close to Belfast International Airport and a loyalist mural in north Belfast was damaged.

An airport transfer bus left the road and crashed into a house in Templepatrick. (Getty Images)

A loyalist paramilitary mural in Belfast is pictured damaged following high winds. (Getty Images)

North West England

Storm Darragh brought severe disruption to the North West of England, with a man in his 40s killed after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.

The man was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.

The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton was called off on Saturday morning as winds of 70mph hit the region, with officials deciding the risk to safety was too high.

A fallen tree damaged a car in Liverpool. (Getty Images)

Fences blown away in Liverpool as Storm Darragh swept through the city. (Getty Images)

A man faces the high winds in New Brighton as Storm Darragh batters the Wirral coastline. (Alamy)

Fallen trees cover Greenbank road in Liverpool. (Getty Images)

Devon

Parts of Devon were also affected by the Met Office’s red “danger to life” warning, with a number of roads blocked in both directions and a tree falling on a car at a Christmas fayre event.

No one was harmed and members of the public helped removed some of the debris, reports DevonLive. Meanwhile a fallen oak tree in Tiverton resulted in a partial evacuation of a block of flats, with some residents prevented from leaving the area in their vehicles.

There was still severe disruption to train and ferry services in the region on Sunday.

Workers remove a fallen tree in Sid Road, in Sidmouth. (Alamy)

Two trees fell within 30 yards on Sid Road, blocking off access to the seaside town of Sidmouth. (Alamy)

Several roads were blocked in both directions in Devon. (Alamy)

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