Storm Eunice sparks disruption in the South West - church spire falls, trees down and more

  • Watch the damage caused by Storm Eunice throughout the day


There is major disruption in the South West as a result of Storm Eunice with 90mph winds recorded in the region.

National Highways and the Met Office issued a red weather warning for strong winds covering the whole of the National Highways strategic road network from 6am to 6pm.

While the red warning has now expired, an amber warning remains in place and disruption is likely to continue until at least 9pm.

The Environment Agency is urging people along the west and south coasts of England - especially along the River Severn and Wye in Gloucestershire - to remain vigilant and continue to prepare for flooding as many flood warnings remain in place.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they had “received over four times the amount of calls we would usually take”, as Storm Eunice battered the south west of England.

Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power and the weather is causing issues on the West Country's roads.

So far the strongest winds to be recorded were at Portland in Dorset where they reached 90mph and at St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly where they were recorded as high as 79mph.

National Highways said there is a “particularly high risk” that high-sided vehicles and other “vulnerable” vehicles such as caravans and motorbikes could be blown over.

Train services are also severely disrupted and flights are being cancelled or delays across the region.

We'll bring you the latest on road closures, crashes, fallen trees and incidents below...

Power cuts impact 90,000 homes

Western Power work to fix cables in Quintrell Downs near Newquay Credit: ITV

As of midday, Western Power Distribution says the total number of homes experiencing power cuts is 95,992 and that number is increasing minute by minute.

Church spire falls in Wells

Matt Hodson, 17, filmed the moment the spire fell off St Thomas Church in Wells.

He told ITV News: "I was in my back garden and noticed the wind becoming much more violent.

"I noticed the tip of the spire was inching closer to the edge - as the wind was getting more violent I knew it might fall.

"I was shocked - it was quite a surreal moment. I didn't really expect it to actually fall - I was just filming just in case."

Major travel disruption - people urged not to travel

Three people have been injured in a crash involving a fallen tree in Wiltshire. The A363 is closed and the driver is in a 'serious condition', according to police.

The A3052 in Devon is closed in both directions between Lower Way (Newton Poppleford) and A375 Sidford Road (Sidmouth) after a fallen tree has blocked traffic.

Superintendent Adrian Leisk, strategic lead for roads policing in Devon and Cornwall, said: “Red weather warnings are extremely rare so I would urge everyone to take extreme caution under the circumstances.“Please do not travel in your vehicle unless your journey is absolutely necessary."


  • Watch the latest update from Barnstaple in Devon


A38 closed westbound

The A38 was closed in both directions at around 8.30am due to fallen power cables and fallen tree.

The tree landed on a parked lorry, also taking down a set of power cables.

A tree came down and landed on the parked lorry Credit: ITV

The eastbound carriageway has since reopened but the westbound route is closed between the A390 (Island Shop Junction, Liskeard) to B3252 (Trethawle).

A390 blocked

The A390 is totally blocked Credit: Cornwall Council

Cornwall Council issued a statement saying: "Please avoid the A390 Lostwithiel to West Taphouse road.

"It is currently closed due to a fallen tree blocking the route."

Tamar Bridge restriction

Newquay drivers urged not to travel

Newquay police response have asked drivers not to travel today to help deal with the increased demands on emergency services due to crashes.

Tree down in Wadebridge

Tree falls on to Liskeard A38

The A38 at Liskeard is closed after a tree landed on a lorry, knocking down power cables.

St Mawes Ferry cancelled

The ferry service between Falmouth and St Mawes has been cancelled today due to the high winds and storm conditions forecast.

M5 crash - 'do not travel' warning

Motorists in "vulnerable" vehicles have been urged not to travel on certain stretches of the M5 motorway.

A earlier crash near Gloucestershire means which saw all traffic held between the Thornbury and Almondsbury has now cleared. A car and a lorry were involved in the accident.

Severn Bridge Closures

The M48 Severn Bridge and the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge were both closed 'for the first time' due to high winds.

The M4 bridge has since reopened but the M48 remains closed.

Somerset M5 northbound carriageway closed at J23 and J22

In Somerset, the M5 northbound carriageway is closed between J23 at Puriton and J22 at Edithmead due to an overturned lorry.

Bristol buses cancelled

All of the First Bus services in and around Bristol have been cancelled until around 4pm on Friday 18 February.

A spokesperson for First said: "With extremely high winds forecast to continue into the afternoon, all services currently suspended will continue to be until at least 4pm."

The company says it will post updates on its Twitter feed.

Multiple trees down in Dorset

Gloucestershire road closures

The is closed in both directions due to strong winds between Birdlip and Cirencester. A diversion route has been put in place.

Flights cancelled and postponed

Bristol Airport

Bristol Airport remains open and operational but some airlines have cancelled flights.

A spokesperson for the airport said: "Airlines have taken the decision to proactively cancel (six departing and six arriving flights) and delayed two flights until later today.

"All customers were informed in advance of arriving at the airport.

"It is a dynamically changing situation and customers are advised to keep updated with the latest flight information by checking airline website or flight App before travelling to the Airport."

Exeter Airport

A number of flights from Exeter airport have been grounded. Airport bosses have confirmed that flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast have been cancelled due to high winds.

Disruption on trains

Services on all branch lines in Devon and Cornwall will be suspended tomorrow - except for the Exmouth to Exeter train.

The Severn Beach line has also been suspended.

Great Western Railways says to ensure trains can run safely, speed restrictions will be put in place. It means the number of trains that are running will be significantly reduced.

Where bus replacement services are able to operate, they too will be affected by very poor road conditions, possible road closures, and are likely to be very busy.

Every train service on the Western route is cancelled

Mike Gallop, Network Rail Western Route and Strategic Operations Director said the decision has been made to protect the safety of passengers and railway maintenance teams.

"We took the decision reluctantly to bring the network to a controlled stop", he said.

"The speed of the wind and the damage it was causing was so unprecedented that we've just had to bring it to a stop and we'll restart it when it is safe to do so.

"Our maintenance team are working hard to restore services, to get the power back on, to get trampolines and greenhouses and trees off the railway to make it safe again."

"For the rest of today, please do not travel. If your journey is necessary tomorrow please check in advance with National Rail enquiries or the train company websites.

"The damage to the railway it has caused will last several days. This will not be fixed overnight", he added.