Homes without power and trees down in Storm Éowyn

Pamela Tickell & Evie Lake
BBC News, North East and Cumbria
BBC A big tree lying across a road and the front gardens of white-brick terrace houses.BBC
A tree fell in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, narrowly missing a row of houses

Roads were closed by fallen trees and overturned vehicles, trains were cancelled and schools shut as severe gale force winds battered north-east England and Cumbria.

Storm Éowyn swept across parts of the UK, bringing 96mph (154 km/h) gusts of winds to places like Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.

No trains ran in Cumbria all day, and rail services between England and Scotland were also called off on Friday morning, Network Rail said.

Meanwhile, more than 60,000 homes in the North East and 16,000 properties in Cumbria were affected by power cuts, with some warned electricity may not be restored until Sunday.

An amber weather warning was in place for wind until 21:00 GMT on Friday, with a yellow wind warning continuing in the region until 23:59 GMT.

More than 26,000 homes across the North East were without power as of 18:30 GMT, Northern Powergrid said.

In Cumbria, Electricity North West said it could take until Sunday evening to restore services.

Flights at Newcastle Airport and Teesside Airport were also disrupted, as were ferry services across the River Tyne.

Train services are expected to remain disrupted on Saturday, with "do not travel" warnings in place in Cumbria.

PA Media Dog walkers on Tynemouth beach. The ground looks completely covered in mist and a woman is holding on to her hat.PA Media
Winds were forecast to reach more than 60mph across the North East, making places such as Tynemouth beach perilous

Hundreds of schools were closed across Cumbria and Northumberland for safety reasons, along with dozens across the rest of the region.

A section of the A19 northbound was closed earlier from Seaham Grange roundabout to Herrington Interchange in Sunderland due to an overturned lorry.

Northumbria Police said no-one was believed to have been seriously injured and the vehicle had been moved.

PA Media A lorry on its side with a smashed windscreen. There is an ambulance parked in front of it.PA Media
Police said no-one was seriously hurt when a lorry overturned on the A19

Two out of three lanes of the M6 were shut in both directions between junctions 43 and 44 after a collision involving an HGV.

An overturned lorry also led to the partial closure of Redheugh Bridge across the River Tyne.

Both southbound lanes were shut along with one northbound and pedestrians were unable to cross.

The A1 was closed northbound between Clifton and Tranwell in Morpeth, Northumberland, due to a fallen tree.

Metal scaffolding surrounding a brick building. White sheets have fallen off the roof.
The Sands Centre in Carlisle closed and a police cordon was put in place on Newmarket Road

Carlisle's Sands Centre closed after high winds caused damage to the temporary canopy installed while the auditorium roof is replaced.

The venue will remain closed on Saturday but some roads around it will reopen, the council added.

Some court cases were either postponed or delayed at Carlisle's magistrates' and crown courts due to Scotland-based defendants being unable to safely travel.

School children were also escorted across Eden Bridge after classes, to ensure they were safe.

Carlisle Cathedral has cancelled its public services on Saturday following storm damage.

A wave hitting a stone sea wall.
Waves proved hazardous around Whitehaven in Cumbria

Sellafield workers were told to work from home if they could.

The firm said: "As a precautionary measure, all outside working on the site is restricted... unless in the interests of maintaining nuclear safety or security and subject to risk assessments."

Forestry England advised people to stay away from its sites in Cumbria, including Whinlatter and Grizedale, "due to the risk of falling trees".

Northumberland Country Parks at Bolam Lake, Plessey Woods and Druridge Bay are closed, as are the Beamish and Bowes museums in County Durham.

At least two-thirds of all National Trust sites in the North East closed.

Our Weather Watchers captured some more of the destruction caused by Storm Éowyn:

BBC WEATHER WATCHERS / MARK1972 A waist-height brick wall has been blown over on a housing estate.BBC WEATHER WATCHERS / MARK1972
BBC WEATHER WATCHERS / Eddiethebear A large green tree has fallen across a garden. The branches are being held up by a brown, wooden fence.BBC WEATHER WATCHERS / Eddiethebear

A brick wall was blown down in Newsham, Northumberland
A large tree was felled in Sherburn Hill, County Durham

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