South of England and Channel Islands bear brunt of Storm Ciaran

Strong winds and rain from Storm Ciaran are battering the south of England and the Channel Islands.

In Jersey, people have been forced to take refuge in a hotel after winds in excess of 100mph from the storm damaged property.

Flooding is expected in 54 areas, according to the Environment Agency, most of which are on the south coast of England.

A major incident has been declared in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight because of the expected pressure on local services.

And hundreds of schools across the south have also closed because of the risk to pupils.

Southern Rail urged commuters to work from home if possible and avoid non-essential journeys due to a strong risk of falling trees and debris blowing on to the tracks.

P&O Ferries said tourist traffic was being sent away from the Port of Dover as severe weather conditions closed the port.

A further 134 alerts are in place for possible flooding across England.

Cornwall Council said that more than 8,500 homes in the county are without power due to the storm.

Charity Age UK said older people living alone, with dementia, or who are seriously unwell need “extra support”, with director Caroline Abrahams saying: “We need to do more in advance and when disasters hit to safeguard older people.”

Across the south coast, an amber warning, the second most severe, runs from 6am to 5pm on Thursday with winds expected to reach 70mph to 80mph, with the potential for 85mph and large waves.

A further amber warning is in place until 11am in Devon and Cornwall, with the Met Office predicting Storm Ciaran will bring winds of 75mph to 85mph, with 65mph to 75mph gusts inland.

The Met Office said Jersey Airport had seen wind gusts of up to 93mph on Thursday morning, with Langdon Bay in Kent recording 71mph winds, and the village of Cardinham in Cornwall seeing 68mph gusts.

States of Jersey Police said 35 people were moved to hotel accommodation overnight, with three taken to hospital because of damage to their homes.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, police said four further people had been moved to other accommodation and Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said gusts had reached up to 104mph.

A red wind warning, the highest level, was issued by Jersey Met into Thursday, with people warned to avoid outside activity.

People have posted on social media of trees coming down in Sussex including at Ditchling Beacon and Ansty with some roads being flooded in Worthing as well.

The French coast saw winds of up to 110mph in western Brittany overnight.

All flights from Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney airports on Thursday have been cancelled.

Ben Lukey, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Large waves and onshore gales brought by Storm Ciaran could see significant flooding along parts of the south coast and along parts of the Yorkshire and North East coasts on Thursday.”

The major incident was declared by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum, with the local fire service warning there was a “potential risk to life” as well as a risk of damage to buildings, falling trees, and flooding.

Commuters in southern England were urged to work from home, with rail firms “strongly advising” passengers not to travel on routes in and out of London before 9am on Thursday as they assess any fallen trees and debris on the line.

Other operators were warning of delays and cancellations.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) urged people watching the conditions to stay away from the coast.

Northern Ireland has already seen flooding, where a yellow rain warning from the Met Office was in place until 9am on Wednesday.

A similar notice was issued for southern parts of England and Wales from 6pm on Wednesday until the end of Thursday.

A yellow warning for rain is also in place from 6am on Thursday to 6am on Friday for north-east England and Scotland, stretching up to Inverness.