Disruption as Yorkshire battered by Storm Éowyn

David Spereall & Andrew Barton
BBC News, Yorkshire
One plane struggled to land at Leeds Bradford Airport during the high winds.

Winds of almost 80mph (128km/h) have battered parts of Yorkshire as Storm Éowyn downed trees and brought travel disruption to the region.

An amber weather warning was in place in parts of North, West and South Yorkshire for much of the day, but was later replaced by a yellow warning across the north of the region.

Northern Powergrid said thousands of customers had lost their power during the day, while train services across the region were disrupted and some flights from Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) cancelled.

The Met Office has forecast further wind and rain following the severe disruption bought to parts of the UK by Storm Éowyn.

BBC/Amy Garcia A tree across a main road in Poppleton near YorkBBC/Amy Garcia
In Poppleton, near York, a 70ft (21m) tree was blown onto a main road

BBC Look North weather presenter, Paul Hudson said the storm force winds had reached 78 mph (125km/h) in Loftus, and 73mph (117/km/h) in Leeming, in North Yorkshire earlier in the day

In West Yorkshire gusts of 70mph (112km/h) were recorded in Emley and 63mph (101km/h) in Bingley.

Earlier, two lanes of the A1(M) in North Yorkshire were closed after two vehicle overturned vehicles near junction 52 southbound.

National Highways said one of the vehicles had been recovered, while the other had been removed from the carriageway and would be taken away later.

Police were called out after two vehicles overturned on the A1(M) during the high winds

In South Yorkshire the A628 Woodhead Pass was closed to all vehicles in both directions between the A616 for Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth.

Speaking to the BBC, Dean Murray from National Highways said motorists should expect conditions to change quickly.

Northern said there was disruption across the whole network due to the weather and advised passengers to check before travelling, LNER advised passengers not to travel to stations north of York.

LBA advised all passengers to check the status of their journeys before travelling.

Meanwhile, photos sent in to BBC Weather Watchers showed fallen trees, broken branches and damage to sheds and garden fences.

Met Office A map of northern England showing an amber area stretching across North and West Yorkshire and Lancashire. The rest of the map is yellow, indicating less severe weather.Met Office
The amber weather warning covers large parts of North, West and South Yorkshire

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: "The influence of Storm Éowyn on the UK's weather will diminish as it moves further north and east on Saturday morning.

"However, there's little respite in the conditions for some with the next area of low pressure arriving from the southwest on Sunday."

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