Red weather warning for Storm Darragh sees events cancelled and attractions closed in the South West

  • An amber warning for wind has also been issued for large parts of the UK, with power cuts and flying debris possible

Dozens of seasonal events and festivals have been cancelled as the South West prepares for the arrival of Storm Darragh.

A red weather warning has been issued for parts of the region with forecasters warning of winds of up to 90mph.

Wales and the north coastal areas of Devon and Somerset are expected to be the worst hit, while an amber warning is in place for the rest of the West Country.

With damage to buildings, homes, roofs and power lines a possibility, and travel disruption likely, a number of events scheduled for this weekend - including Plymouth Argyle's home match against Oxford United - have been cancelled.

(PA Graphics) Credit: PA Graphics

List of events cancelled in the South West due to Storm Darragh so far:

Cornwall:

  • Saltash Christmas Festival

  • Falmouth Festive Weekend

  • Truro Christmas Market

  • Porthleven Christmas Market

  • Callington Rotary Christmas Market

Devon:

  • Kingsbridge Celebrates Christmas

  • Plymouth Santa-themed motorcycle ride in aid of Little Harbour Children's Hospice

  • Tavistock’s Dickensian Evening

  • Exeter's Magdalen Road Christmas Fair

  • Plymouth Argyle's home match against Oxford United

Somerset:

  • Cheddar Festive Night

  • Cheddar Gorge & Caves

  • Bath Christmas Market (closed on Saturday, December 7)

  • Light Up The Lake at Clevedon's Marine Lake

  • Weston-super-Mare's Tropicana Ice Rink

North Somerset:

  • Nailsea's Eat Festival on Saturday, December 7

Bristol:

  • Windmill Hill Market Festive Weekend

  • St Nicholas Outdoor Market

  • Chew Valley Lake, Blagdon Lake and The Barrow Tanks closed to visitors and birdwatchers on Saturday, December 7

Gloucestershire:

  • Gloucester Quay's Christmas Market

Wiltshire:

  • South Swindon Enchanted Lights Trail

  • Swindon Retail Market

  • Longleat Safari Park

Rail services have been affected, with South Western Railway advising customers to check before travelling.

"The high wind speeds will mean the following service changes: services between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo will start and finish at Basingstoke," SWR tweeted.

"Journey times will be longer between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids."

Dozens of Parkrun events have cancelled across the South West, including the Forest of Dean, which was due to mark its 700th run. Credit: PA

A number of regional Parkrun events, which normally take place at 9am every Saturday, have also been forced to cancel.

This includes Weston-super-Mare’s Marine Parade, Keynsham’s Somerdale Pavilion, Shepton Mallet, Cranbrook Country Park in Exeter, Penryn Campus and Trelissick.

The Forest of Dean Parkrun, which was due to celebrate its 700th event on Saturday, has also been cancelled - with more expected.

‘Difficult decision to cancel’

Planned Christmas festivities in Falmouth, Saltash and Kingsbridge have all been cancelled.

Richard Gates, from Falmouth's Business Improvement District, said: "We assess it of course, safety is paramount, but we have to make sure before we make the decision and we do not take the decision lightly.

"It's really, really important to say that we looked at all other possibilities, what we could do, whether we could do some indoor options and things like that.

"Of course, there's already other bookings of other indoor locations around the town, and so then we made decision. It is absolutely the right decision as disappointing as it is."

  • Richard Gates speaks to ITV News West Country

The organisers of Kingsbridge Celebrates Christmas also apologised for any disappointment caused.

“After thorough discussions with our safety officer and partners, we have determined that proceeding with the event would compromise the safety of everyone involved,” organisers said in a statement.

“We did not make this decision lightly. The well-being of our attendees, stallholders, and volunteers is our highest priority, and the outdoor nature of the event leaves us with no viable alternative.”

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