Storm Austen Cuts Power to 18,000 Homes as Brighton Pier Collapses
More than 18,000 homes across parts of England and Wales were without power this afternoon as Storm Austen crossed the country, with a gust of 84mph recorded at Jersey Airport. Part of Brighton’s derelict West Pier collapsed into the sea. No casualties have been reported.
Cornwall Council dealt with about 250 emergencies, 150 of them fallen trees, though most major roads have reopened. In Wales almost 2,000 properties lost supply between Milford Haven and Usk, the worst of it in Cardigan with more than 500 homes off. The amber warning for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly expired at ten this morning and yellow warnings run into this evening. The forward-looking point matters more: a fresh amber warning for wind takes effect at nine tomorrow night and runs for 24 hours, covering Scotland, the north coast of Northern Ireland, Cumbria and Northumberland, with gusts to 80mph on exposed coasts, a danger to life from flying debris and what forecasters call a good chance of power cuts. One practical consequence is already visible in the Channel Islands, where the chief executive of the islands’ Co-op warned of fresh food shortages from a ferry backlog, with essential medication being prioritised: “It’s rare we get this level of disruption to storms backing up so quickly.” Transport Scotland’s advice for tomorrow was blunter — “only go out if it’s necessary”. The West Pier opened in 1866, closed in 1975 and had already been declared beyond repair.