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- Jun 29, 2008
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Worst storm for 15 years batters Britain as winds of up to 165mph lash the north and people are warned to remain indoors
Hurricane force winds of up to 165mph swept across Scotland today as storms battered Britain and police told people to stay indoors for their own safety.
Weather forecasters said the gusts were recorded at the Cairngorms between 2pm and 3pm today - just short of the all time record. Wind speeds of 173mph were recorded on the same Scottish mountains on March 20, 1986.
InEngland, wind speeds of up to 107mph were recorded at Great Dun Fell inthe Pennines today while Manchester was hit by 67mph blasts.
Storm: Waves batter the coastline at Helensburgh, Scotland, as the country is hit by hurricane force winds
Huge gusts: Largs promenade is battered by winds as police advise the public not to travel
Police in Scotland told people to stay indoors as the country is lashed by hurricane force winds.
The Met Office had this afternoon recorded gusts of 71mph in Glasgow, 68mph in Aberdeen and 68mph in Edinburgh.
The 151mph wind speed, recorded between noon and 1pm today on the Cairngorms, could yet be topped.
On lower ground, 105mph winds hit Tulloch Bridge in Inverness and 81mph winds were recorded in Dunstaffnage in Argyll and Bute.
In England, a lorry was blown over onto the central reservation of the A66 on the border between Cumbria and County Durham.
The driver, a 60-year-old from Millom, Cumbria, was not injured in the accident.
Another motorist got stuck on the A591 near Ambleside, which was temporarily closed because of floodwater
.
Gale forced: A HGV is blown over in strong winds onto the central reservation on the A66 on the border between Cumbria and County Durham
Locals brave the weather at Saltcoats, Ayrshire as the area is blasted by 90mph winds
Roads in Weardale were subject to localised flooding as fellside streams struggled to cope with melting snow and heavy rains.
StrathclydePolice Chief Inspector Stewart Campbell urged people not to venture outand, if they have to, take warm clothes and food in case they get stuck.
The travel warning stretched across the central belt, from Strathclyde to Lothian and Borders, and also applies to pedestrians who may be at risk of beinghit by objects blown by high winds
.
A £2million, 100metre-tall wind turbine catches fire in hurricane-force winds at Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, Scotland, during severe weather
Storm damage: Laura Harrison and her collegue Martin Murphy pictured outside their shop in Musselburgh, East Lothian today as storms ripped off their sign while a Co-op in Dumbarton also had its sign blown off
Gusty: A dog in Upton, Norfolk, is blown in the strong winds while, right, two women struggle to walk through Edinburgh in strong winds
CentralScotland Police Assistant Chief Constable Allan Moffat said: 'The advice for motorists across the central belt of Scotland is to avoid travel as the severe weather moves across the country from west to east,starting around noon on the west side of the country. It is expected that the impact of the weather will affect the east side of the country from 2pm onwards.
'Thisadvice to avoid travel is not given lightly but is based on the clearest information yet from weather forecasters that there will be high winds with gusts of up to 90mph.
'Thetime frame for these exceptional conditions is between noon and 7pm andI am being given clear information that a wide area of Scotland will beaffected. People could be putting themselves at considerable risk by travelling in these conditions.
'Thepredicted impact of the wind is such that it may cause structural damage and is a specific danger to high-sided road vehicles. I would askthe public to pay close attention to weather and road updates and act accordingly to the advice given.
'Irecognise that this is a significant statement, however it is based upon the premise of ensuring public safety and minimising the risk to road users in the affected areas.'
Flightsto and from Scotland were also disrupted. Glasgow and Edinburgh each had 17 flights cancelled and a further four planes had to be diverted from Edinburgh.
Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight before going to the airport.
Royal engagements in Scotland and the North East have been cancelled because of dangerous winds.
TheCountess of Wessex postponed two visits in County Durham: to Billinghamtown and a meeting in Durham relating to her role as patron of Sunderland Association Football Club Foundation.
ABuckingham Palace spokesman said the bad weather meant her flight to the region was cancelled but that other travel arrangements have been made and she would still take part in events later this afternoon and evening.
ScottishPower said that, as of 3.30pm, as many as 12,000 homes in the Perthshire area were without power. Wind also disrupted power supplies in Dumfries, Central Scotland and the Clyde coast but it was not clear how many people were affected.
The electricity supplier said it was working hard to restore power supplies. All non-essential maintenance work has been cancelled and extra engineers from Merseyside and Wales have been drafted in to help with the emergency response.
But engineers have been prevented from getting to some homes as roads are blocked by fallen trees and from climbing up poles because of the high winds.
As Scotland prepared for the storm, hundreds of schools closed today.
Snow is expected as far south as Birmingham as Arctic conditions sweep in across the country. London willexperience gusts of up to 55mph, forecasters said.
The Scottish Government advised schools to stay closed and said the travel warning was 'unprecedented for high wind'.
Motorists north of the border were told to 'exercise extreme caution' and check conditions before travelling. The Forth Bridge has been closed as a precaution.
Weatherforecasters said the low pressure over the Western Isles was causing strong winds as far south as Merseyside and north Wales.
The Environment Agency has issued seven flood alerts at different locations on 12 rivers and lakes in the county.
One flood warning was also issued by the agency on the River Greta at Keswick due to rising water levels caused by heavy rain.
In Scotland, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today warned that the country will be hit by gales which are worsethan they have seen for 'many years'.
She said:'The very latest information from the Met Office's chief forecaster shows that we can expect very severe gales, at wind speeds not seen for many years, across large parts of western, central and southern Scotlandthroughout Thursday.
'Onthe basis of the earlier red warning from the Met Office, some councilshad already taken the precaution of closing schools early to make sure that parents can safely collect children before the most dangerous weather and travel conditions arrive.
'In light of the latest forecast, and inparticular the timings which suggest the severe weather affecting the west-central part of the country earlier than originally anticipated, some of these closure timings may have to change.
However, this morning she told the BBC that individual headteachers should decide for themselves whether to open today.
OfScotland's 32 local authorities, Aberdeen City Council, Angus Council, Dundee City Council, Scottish Borders Council, Shetland Islands Council and Orkney Islands Council did not close schools today.
All schools in nine local authorities have closed, with the rest shut at 12pm.
No schools in Glasgow - Scotland's biggest local authority - were open today.
All classes at Glasgow and Strathclyde universities were cancelled, affecting thousands of students.
Across England, the Government issued its first winter health alert, telling hospitals to prepare to be busier than usual.
A deepening Atlantic low pressure system is bringing winds ranked at the maximum force of 12 on the Beaufort scale, with gusts expected to blow vehicles sideways and cause bridge closures.
Blustery: A man walks his dog along the promenade in Largs today as the coastline takes a battering
Festive preparations: This 30ft Santa on the roof of a pub in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, has been left shaking in the wind today. Right: A woman walks with her dog in sand whipped up by high winds in Seaburn, Tyne and Wear
Fierce winds: Two walkers in Southsea, Hampshire, are today hit by sea spray as they walk along the coast. Right, in Blackpool rough seas batter the famous beach front today as Britain is hit by high winds