Storm Barra news – news: UK hit by 80mph gales as pensioner found dead in flooded river

Aberystwyth promenade in Wales has reportedly seen its biggest storm damage for a decade.

Strong winds from Storm Barra have caused power cuts and some travel disruption in Wales with wind speeds reaching as high as 86 mph recorded in Aberdaron, Gwynedd.

Power cuts have affected Pwllheli, Penygroes, Caernarfon, Dinorwic, Aberdovey and Llay. There are cancellations and delays on many rail services across Wales.

A school has been closed after high winds ripped part of its roof off as Storm Barra continues to batter parts of Wales.

Bryngwyn Comprehensive School in Llanelli shut on Tuesday afternoon following gusts of more than 70mph.

No one was injured as most people had left the campus before the building was damaged, a statement from the school said. Dyfed-Powys Police was called to the scene to deal with debris that had been blown on to a nearby road.

Pupils were told to stay at home on Wednesday so the damage can be assessed. Warnings for strong winds remain in place across the south and west coasts of Wales, which could cause travel disruption.

Wind speeds of 86mph have been recorded in Aberdaron, Gwynedd, just a week after a 81mph gust was recorded in Aberporth, Ceredigion, during Storm Arwen.

The Met Office said: “Strong westerly winds slowly moderating through Wednesday. Wind gusts of 45-50mph expected widely across the region, with a potential of 55-65mph for exposed coastal locations.

Around 1,000 properties remain without power after Storm Barra swept across the country.

The latest power cuts come just days after the final homes were reconnected following Storm Arwen, which had caused "catastrophic damage" to electricity networks mainly in the north east of Scotland, affecting 135,000 properties.

The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings as Storm Barra brought high winds, heavy rain and snow on Tuesday.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said around 1,000 customers remained without power across the north of Scotland, with 700 of these in the Grampian area, at 8am on Wednesday.

It has restored power to more than 8,000 customers following Storm Barra and engineers are working to reconnect the rest.

People have described their relief after they were finally reconnected after 10 days without electricity following Storm Arwen

Northern Powergrid is in its “last push” to restore electricity in areas of the country after it was cut off by the storm which battered the country during the last days of November.

The same homes are now being hit by Storm Barra which, although not expected to be as severe as Storm Arwen, has already made itself felt across the UK and Ireland, with gusty winds battering communities.

Read the full details below:

Footage from Fastnet Lighthouse in southern Ireland goes viral showing the 68mph Storm Barra producing immense waves.

Schools across Ireland will remain closed on Wednesday, as the country continues to feel the impact of Storm Barra

Weather warnings remain in place nationwide, after thousands of people were left without power as wind and rain battered parts of Ireland for hours on Tuesday.

The Department of Education said on Tuesday that any school currently or forecast to be in a red or orange alert area should remain closed on Wednesday.

Full details of the story are below:

Storm Barra is expected to bring ice, wind and rain - which could cause flooding for parts of the UK on Wednesday.

Thousands of homes lost power for up to 10 days in the wake of 100mph winds and lashing rain at the end of November.

Northern Powergrid has not confirmed whether all homes were connected by Tuesday night as promised.

Storm Barra moved in from the west on Tuesday, and a yellow weather warning for wind is in place from midnight until 6pm on Wednesday for the west coast of Wales and south-west England.

Aberdaron in Gwynedd, Wales, which is covered by the warning, was battered by gales of 86mph on Tuesday, while Orlock Head in Co Down, N Ireland, faced 76mph gusts.

The Environment Agency has issued 11 flood warnings for England at locations including Hartlepool and Sunderland in the North East, Bournemouth and Weymouth in the South, and part of the Cumbrian coast.

Some 66 flood alerts, for areas where flooding is possible, have also been issued across the country.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has sent 11 flood alerts and five warnings for areas in the north-east of Scotland and the south-west.

Natural Resources Wales has also issued 12 flood warnings and 11 alerts, mainly covering coastal areas.

A Met Office radar has shown spells of wind and rain circling parts of the UK on day two of the weather event.

The forecaster warned that spray can be expected on the road for drivers travelling today.

Storm Barra has battered parts of the UK and Ireland with a “weather bomb” of snow, rain and 68mph winds and is set to bring more disruption.

The storm has brought gales and blizzards to the worst affected areas in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Around 38,000 homes remain without power in the Republic of Ireland late on Tuesday evening and some may not be reconnected for a number of days.

Our reporter Lamiat Sabin has the full report below: