Britain braced for 75mph storm
Pastor Dale Morgan
Britain braced for 75mph storm*
By David Sapsted
Last Updated: 2:07am GMT 25/11/2006
Much of Britain was braced for a battering today from a "vigorous" storm
heading in from the Atlantic.
Southern England and Wales are most at risk
The Met Office issued a severe weather warning, saying gusts of 75mph
could cause structural damage, bring down trees, disrupt electricity
supplies and cause problems on the roads.
The Highways Agency warned drivers to take extra care, while the
Coastguard Agency advised mariners not to go to sea this weekend. "There
are extremely high winds forecast for the next few days with the outlook
suggesting gale force 8 to storm 10, perhaps even violent storm 11
later. Storm 11 is one force less than a hurricane," said a Met Office
spokesman.
It was unclear last night what path the storm would take, but the
southern half of England and Wales was considered most at risk, with the
wind and rain moving north in the afternoon.
"Although the very strong winds are expected to be the main concern, the
storm will also bring heavy rain and an increased risk of flooding,"
said the spokesman.
"Gusts of 65 to 75mph are expected. Gusts to this strength are
infrequent across the South East and are likely to lead to disruption to
transport and power supplies."
Conditions along the coast are likely to be worsened by relatively high
tides, bringing renewed fears of flooding, especially in East Anglia.
Residents of Dunwich on the Suffolk coast are particularly fearful after
parts of the shingle bank, which protects the village and an adjoining
freshwater nature reserve, were washed away earlier this month.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said the flooding situation in
East Anglia and elsewhere was being continually monitored.
She added that the forecast for predominantly south-westerly winds
should leave eastern coasts relatively unscathed.