Storm Austen brings power cuts and travel disruption as more wind and rain forecast

Storm Austen brings power cuts and travel disruption to southern England and Wales.

The full report

Storm Austen has brought power cuts and travel disruption to southern England and Wales, with more bad weather expected this weekend. According to the BBC News — Science & Environment, more than 10,000 homes are without power as the storm continues to batter the region.

The storm has disrupted travel with fallen trees blocking railway lines and roads. In Brighton, part of the iconic West Pier collapsed into the sea. The West Pier, an abandoned structure that first opened in 1866, was closed to the public in 1975 and fell into disrepair.

The Met Office has put in place an amber warning for wind on Saturday and Sunday to cover parts of Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland. Storm Austen made landfall in the south-west overnight and tracked eastwards throughout the day.

All schools on Jersey and Guernsey closed for the day, and some in Cornwall were closed or started later than normal. Ahead of the worst of the storm on Thursday afternoon, families were evacuated from a holiday park in Perranporth, Cornwall.

The National Grid said engineers had restored power to more than 60,000 properties since Storm Austen began. Some ferry services between the UK and France were cancelled, while National Rail advised many routes were travelling at slower speeds.