UK: two dead, power cuts for thousands, 120 lorries stuck in snow as Storm Arwen batters nation’s north

Falling trees kill two men, more than 55,000 customers no electricity, and many drivers no choice but to sleep in their vehicles

Trains suspended, roads closed; people warned to stay away from the coast ‘as waves and debris are a danger to life’ in rare ‘red weather’ warning

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A man in the north of England walks past a car lying under fallen bricks after powerful wind gusts battered Britain during “Storm Arwen”. The Met Office issued a rare red warning for wind from 3pm on Friday to 2am on Saturday. Photo: PA via AP

Published: 7:25pm, 27 Nov 2021

Two people were killed, thousands of homes cut off from power and drivers stuck on freezing roads overnight as a powerful storm hit the northern UK, authorities said on Saturday.

One man was killed when his car was struck by a falling tree in Northern Ireland late on Friday, police said, as “Storm Arwen” triggered a rare “red weather” warning from the UK’s meteorological service.

Another man died when he was hit by a tree in the Lake District in northwest England.

“People should stay away from the coast as waves and debris are a danger to life,” warned the Met Office.

Waves crash against the pier wall at Seaham Lighthouse in northern England during Storm Arwen. Photo: Reuters

Packing wind gusts of almost 160km (100 miles) per hour, the severe gale caused power cuts to more than 55,000 customers in northern England, the region’s electricity utility said.

Express train services were suspended north of Newcastle and roads closed by fallen debris in parts of Scotland, while snowfall from Friday afternoon brought disruption to routes more widely.