At least two deaths, tens of thousands of households without electricity and vehicles stuck on wintry roads: Northern Great Britain has been hit by a severe winter storm. Authorities announced on Saturday that a man died in Northern Ireland when a tree fell on his car late Friday night. Another man was killed by a tree in northwest England.
The weather authority issued an unusual warning of the red alert because of the storm “Arwen”. “People should stay away from the coasts, as the tidal waves threaten their lives,” warned the authority.
The low brought wind speeds of almost 160 kilometers per hour with it. According to the electricity operator for northern England, more than 55,000 customers in the region were without electricity. In Scotland, around 75,000 households were still without electricity on Saturday.
Express train connections were interrupted north of Newcastle, and roads in Scotland had to be closed. Railway connections were also interrupted there, including between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In many places there were traffic delays due to snowfall and fallen trees. According to police reports and reports in online networks, many drivers had to spend the night in their vehicles. Around 120 trucks got stuck in the snow between Manchester and Leeds.
The storm subsided a bit on Saturday morning. However, the authorities continued to warn of difficult weather conditions and advised against unnecessary travel.