A man has died after a tree fell onto his van as Storm Darragh lashed the UK. Gusts of 93mph have been recorded in some parts of the country, while millions of people have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power, and trains have been cancelled.
A Lancashire Police investigation is under way after the force was called at around 9am on Saturday to the A59 at Longton, near Preston. The man in his 40s was driving his Citroen van on the dual carriageway when the tree fell onto his vehicle.
His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by a specially trained officer.
Detective Sgt Matt Davidson, from Lancashire Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Very sadly this incident has resulted in the death of a man and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
“An investigation is ongoing, and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened or has any dashcam or mobile phone footage to please get in touch.”
The Energy Networks Association said 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales are without power. A spokesperson said around 385,000 customers have been reconnected overnight, with more than 1,000 engineers ready to be deployed.
National Grid has said more than 55,000 customers have no power supply across the South West, South Wales and the West Midlands due to Storm Darragh. It said the majority of these were in South Wales. Around 376,000 customers have had their power restored by its teams since the start of the storm.
Gusts of 93mph have been recorded as Storm Darragh hit the UK. Millions of people have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power, and trains have been cancelled as the Government’s “risk to life” alert came into force.
The emergency alert came into effect at 1am on Saturday and was sent to people within the area covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England. It was the largest use of the warning system yet, with the alert urging residents to avoid driving and to “stay indoors if you can”.
Speaking to Sky News, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds describe d the storm as a “challenging situation”. He added: “About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice.”He added: “Where you can, stay inside, don’t put yourself at risk, and just follow the advice at all times.”