Storm Lilian: Flights cancelled and thousands without power as 70mph winds hit Britain

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Flights were cancelled and thousands of homes were left without power as Storm Lilian swept through Britain.
Winds of up to 73mph caused travel disruption, flooding, power cuts and dangerous conditions near coastal areas on Friday.
British Airways cancelled flights from London Heathrow to several destinations this morning, including Barcelona, Paris and Rome.
More than 63,000 homes across the north of England were left without power or facing supply issues.
Leeds Festival organisers have closed three stages after tents were seen flying across the campsite. 
Acts including indie singer Beabadoobee and US star Ashnikko had been set to play the BBC Radio 1 Stage on Friday evening, while podcasts Antics With Ash and The Useless Hotline were billed for the Aux Stage.
Skrillex was set to play the headline slot at the all-new 40,000 capacity Chevron stage, but this has also been forced to shut. 
The Met Office’s shipping forecast warned of “violent” gale force 11 storms, one below “hurricane” levels of wind. 
Nine train companies’ services have been disrupted by problems including fallen trees and precautionary speed limits being imposed for safety reasons.
Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesman, told The Telegraph: “Storm Lilian has brought impacts to a swathe of the UK, including many power outages across parts of northern England. 
“The system, which has now headed out into the North Sea, was quite brief in duration but while she headed across the UK she packed quite a punch.”
Storm Lilian is the 12th named storm of the season and the first time the letter L has been reached. 
The UK’s storm season, which runs from the start of September to the end of the following August, has only reached K twice since the Met Office began naming storms in 2015.
Here’s a recap of today’s developments:
A hospitality trade body has urged the public to support the service industry over the bank holiday weekend, whatever the weather. 
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, told The Telegraph: “The weather often plays an important role in people’s decision making, but, in any weather, hospitality has something to offer.”
She added: “Come rain or shine, I’d encourage everyone to support their local hospitality businesses.”
⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️Rain across parts of South East EnglandSaturday 0600 – 1300Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfsStay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/gDWiDlT50b
A Leeds Festival attendee has spoken of waking up in a puddle after the wind ripped her tent, describing her experience as the“worst day ever”. 
Carrie Gill, 19, said: “All the stores have blown over, the urinal walls are gone and lads are just pissing against fences, people’s tents are in the sky. 
“It’s honestly really bad here.”
Declan Donnelly, 20, an engineering production operator from Manchester, also woke up to his tent “folding in”. 
He said: “It seems to have calmed down now but there’s lots of tents ripped, collapsed and destroyed, with a fair few tents left by people who have chosen to go home.”
Storm Lilian is the 12th named storm of the season and the first time the letter L has been reached. 
The UK’s storm season, which runs from the start of September to the end of the following August, has only reached K twice since the Met Office began naming storms in 2015.
Storm Lilian is named after Anglo-Irish journalist and pioneering aviator Lilian Bland, who was the first woman in Ireland to build and fly an aircraft, according to Met Eireann. 
Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesman, told The Telegraph: “Storm Lilian has brought impacts to a swathe of the UK, including many power outages across parts of northern England. 
“The system, which has now headed out into the North Sea, was quite brief in duration but while she headed across the UK she packed quite a punch.”
Strong winds have brought trees down and some travel disruption this morning 🌬️Here are some of #StormLilian’s highest recorded wind gusts 👇 pic.twitter.com/38DHcLn3fS
Storm Lilian so far has left more than 63,418 Northern Powergrid customers without power or facing supply issues.
Northern Powergrid, which supplies electricity to North-East England, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, said it had managed to reconnect more than 27,000 customers.
Louise Lowes, customer service director at Northern Powergrid, said: “Storm Lilian brought strong winds to our region early this morning and we are already working hard to respond and support affected customers.”
Storm Lilian is causing widespread disruption on the railways with one major operator telling customers not to travel today.
Nine train companies’ services have been disrupted by problems including fallen trees and precautionary speed limits being imposed for safety reasons.
Northern Rail said: “Passengers are advised to avoid travelling if you can where possible due to major disruption, as you may be heavily delayed.”
Damage to the overhead electric wires between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western has also forced the closure of all lines between those stations.
Other train companies affected by the severe weather include TransPennine Express, LNER, Lumo, Grand Central, LNWR, West Midlands Trains, East Midlands Trains and Transport for Wales.
Rockstar Energy, the organisers of Leeds Festival, has closed two stages after “suffering from the winds”. 
Acts including indie singer Beabadoobee and US star Ashnikko were set to play the BBC Radio 1 Stage on Friday evening, while podcasts Antics With Ash and The Useless Hotline were billed for the Aux Stage.
Liam Gallagher will headline the music festival in Bramham Park on Friday evening.
Winds easing this afternoon as #StormLilian pulls away, but staying blustery, especially in the north🌬️Sunny periods for most areas but showers in the north and west, these heavy in places🌦️Feeling quite cool in the breeze but warmer than yesterday in the southeast📈 pic.twitter.com/nypZT4Ni3r
Dylan Maggs, who is attending Leeds Festival, told The Telegraph: “Both general and guest camping sites have been hit with some damage.
“Perimeter walls have fallen on tents, no one was in them thankfully. Plenty of tents and gazebos were ungrounded. 
“Many people unpoled and flattened their tents around 7am and we’ve been waiting for it to pass.”
Creamfields electronic music festival delayed its opening today and urged attendees to remain in their cars until the wind passed. 
Rockstar Energy, which organises Creamfields, said: “Due to high wind conditions onsite, there will be a delay to public arenas and gates opening.
“For customers who have already arrived on site today, please remain in your vehicles for safety until gates open.”
Later, the organisers added: “We are fully prepared for the day ahead.”
The covers have come off in Manchester for day three of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka. 
Just 57 overs were possible at Old Trafford yesterday, with the morning session wiped out by rain and bad light curtailing the evening’s play. 
Follow the latest here.
Leeds Festival organisers have scaled back today’s schedule and warned those on site to stay in their tents for now.
Organisers at Leeds delayed opening the arena and confirmed the BBC Radio 1 stage and Aux stage would be closed.
They said: “We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend.”
The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire has been closed in both directions between junctions one for Aust and junction two for Chepstow due to strong winds.
Drivers are advised to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge as an alternate route.
Red Funnel Ferries has warned that high winds could cause disruption and delays to its services between Southampton and Cowes.
Irish Ferries operating out of Dover are experiencing some delays.
Stall holders at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival have been left “devastated” after their stalls were blown apart by Storm Lilian.
Not the start Bolton Food and Drink Festival was hoping for… 20 stalls on Newport Street battered by #StormLilian. Stall holders here are devastated. They’ve lost stock and don’t yet know when they’ll be able to clear up. @BBCRadioManc pic.twitter.com/J0vI5UEhAX
The RAC estimates 19.2 million leisure trips by car will be made over the weekend, with 3.2 million on Friday alone.
This is the highest since the motoring services company began recording data for the summer bank holiday in 2015.
Alice Simpson, a spokeswoman for RAC Breakdown, said the adverse weather and large volume of expected trips represents “a perfect storm” for drivers.
She said: “Anyone driving in areas impacted by Storm Lilian should try to avoid exposed coasts and higher routes where there’s a greater chance of fallen branches and trees.
“Drivers should keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and take extra care when passing high-sided vehicles which can cause an unnerving buffeting effect when you’re suddenly hit by the wind on the other side.”
British Airways has cancelled 16 flights from London Heathrow to several destinations this morning, including Barcelona, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris and Rome.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: “Due to restrictions imposed by air traffic control as a result of adverse weather across the UK, we’ve made some minor adjustments to our schedule.
“We’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and to help get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.”
At Leeds Bradford Airport, Aer Lingus flights to Belfast City and Dublin have been cancelled while other departures face delays. 
The Met Office’s shipping forecast had 16 gale warnings in place on Friday morning, mostly covering southern and eastern sea areas including Lundy, Plymouth, Wight, Dover, Thames, Humber, and Irish Sea. 
A violent storm force of 11 is expected in Dogger, German Bight and Fisher, while a force of 10 is anticipated for Tyne and Forties.
The Beaufort wind force scale peaks at 12, which is classified as ‘Hurricane’ levels of wind.
The wind speed of a violent storm is between 56 to 63 knots, with anything higher being deemed hurricane levels.
The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 23 flood warnings – when flooding is expected – and 61 flood alerts in England, while National Resources Wales has put out 11 flood alerts.
It comes after the National Fire Chiefs Council today called for more support in responding to extreme weather events such as flooding and wildfires in England. 
The NFCC has asked the Government to consult on introducing statutory duties for flooding response and inland water safety.
The UK Health Security Agency estimates that approximately 6.1 million people in the UK are at significant risk of flooding, with the number expected to rise to between 9.8 million and 13.3 million by 2050.
Strong winds are set to occur in the next few hours across northern England and north Wales, according to the Met Office. 
A yellow weather warning remains in place across northern England, with forecasters warning “damaging gusts are possible”.
Winds are now strengthening in many areas with the strongest winds occurring during the next few hours across northern England and north WalesDamaging gusts are possible in places so ensure you stay #WeatherAware https://t.co/Oudv6Qw4lW
 
We’re bringing you the latest weather and travel updates this morning as Storm Lilian brings strong winds to the UK.