Blustery winds and heavy rain hit the UK last night, as Storm Bronagh blew in with gales that reached 76mph in some regions.
Arriving just days after the first named storm of the season, Ali, Storm Bronagh moved eastwards across Wales and England, with Sheffield and Sennybridge both seeing nearly half a month’s rainfall in less than 24 hours.
The A1 near Gonerby Moor in Lincolnshire was closed on Friday morning as recovery crews removed a lorry that had left the carriageway, while flooding on the M6 at Crewe forced a slip road to be closed for several hours.
Police have warned motorists around the country to be on the lookout for fallen trees, debris and power lines on the road this morning.
Late on Thursday night, Carmarthenshire police warned drivers not to try to cross fords as the floods hit, posting a video of an empty car being swept away on one:
Speed restrictions were in place for many train networks, as a precautionary measure, and in Wales, a landslip has blocked the railway line between Ystrad Rhondda and Porth.
The 76pmh gust of wind was recorded overnight at the Needles on the Isle of Wight.
A Met Office yellow warning for wind covering England and Wales was in place until 9am, while in south-west Wales there were 12 flood warnings still in place on Friday morning.
Nearly 40 flood alerts have been issued across the country and there were individual warnings in place in Staffordshire, Chesterfield and South Yorkshire.
Winds could reach 60mph during the day today, particularly in on the north-west coast of England.
Met Office forecaster Rachael West told the Press Association: “Storm Bronagh is moving towards the north and east and we are going to continue to see strong, blustery and gusty north-westerly winds.
“We are looking at gusts of between 45 and 55mph across the UK and associated with that some heavy showers with some hail and thunder.”