Millions urged to stay inside as Storm Darragh hits UK and Ireland with rare red weather warning issued

A rare red "danger to life" warning for wind has been issued for much of Wales and parts of the South West as the fourth named storm of the season reaches the UK.

The government sent out a text alert to around three million people ahead of landfall, before Storm Darragh hit Ireland first, and then moved on to the British Isles.

The alert warned people of the coming disruption and asked them to "stay indoors if you can", saying it wasn't safe to drive in the stormy conditions.

Gusts of up to 93mph were recorded overnight in Capel Curig in North Wales, according to the Met Office, with 92mph seen in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula.

Winds topping 80mph were recorded in other parts of Wales and gusts of up to 77mph were seen in Northern Ireland and the South West of England, the forecaster said.

The storm was at its peak as of 7am, Tom Morgan of the Met Office said, adding higher wind speed totals are "possible" later in the morning.

The centre of the storm, where winds are calmer, was across the North East.

Thousands of people across Northern Ireland, England and Wales have been left without power.

The Energy Networks Association said around 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power as of 9am.

The National Grid said as of 8am more than 55,000 customers had lost power in the South West, South Wales and West Midlands, with the majority of those being in South Wales.

A note on the Northern Ireland Electricity Network's website said "due to the number of faults" the authority was unable to provide estimated restoration times.

National Highways said the Prince of Wales Bridge, M4, and the Severn Bridge, M48 - which connect South West England to Wales - had been closed due to strong winds.

It advised the QEII Bridge at Dartford Crossing in South East England had also been closed due to strong winds.

Network Rail Wales said all train services on the North West Coast Line had been suspended until further notice due to a fallen tree.

The Merseyside Premier League derby between Everton and Liverpool due to kickoff at lunchtime at Goodison Park was postponed.

Several British Airways flights to and from Heathrow, Paris, the US and the Netherlands have been cancelled.

Red 'risk to life' weather warning

Beginning at 3am this morning, the red weather warning lasts until 11am.

The Met Office said the worst of the weather is expected over the coastal areas and parts of West and South Wales.

Strong winds will also be funnelled through the Bristol Channel, causing large waves on exposed beaches.

The red warning is one of nine warnings in place on Saturday, including two amber wind warnings.

The areas covered by the red warning in the South West are:

• Bath and North East Somerset
• Bristol
• Devon
• North Somerset
• Somerset
• South Gloucestershire

Those covered by the red warning in Wales are:

• Bridgend
• Cardiff
• Carmarthenshire
• Ceredigion
• Conwy
• Gwynedd
• Isle of Anglesey
• Monmouthshire
• Neath Port Talbot
• Newport
• Pembrokeshire
• Swansea
• Vale of Glamorgan

Wind warnings covering almost all of the UK are in place until Sunday morning.

Gather 'essential items'

The Cabinet Office's emergency alert on Friday advised people to consider gathering "torches, batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items" already in their homes.

The text read: "A RED warning for wind has been issued in your area. Extremely strong winds associated with Storm Darragh are expected to cause significant disruption.

"Strong winds can cause flying debris, falling trees and large waves around coastal areas, all of which can present a danger to life."

When it came in, the alert made a sound much louder than a normal text until it was switched off.

However, some people claimed they didn't receive it.

-SKY NEWS