South Shields Lighthouse dome damaged and trains hit by storm

A lighthouse has been damaged and railway lines blocked after the arrival of Storm Babet.

Widespread disruption to transport networks and power outages have been reported across north-east England.

Earlier, the dome of South Shields Lighthouse was knocked off by strong waves, while Metro trains were hindered by falling trees and debris.

People have been advised to stay away from the coast, where conditions are particularly bad.

It follows a weather warning for persistent heavy rain, which remains in place across parts of northern England.

The Port of Tyne said an assessment found the top dome of the lighthouse had "been forcibly removed by the relentless combination of sea and wind".

A spokesperson for the port, which is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the lighthouse and the pier, said there were fears there was also damage to the south pier structure.

Inspections of the north and south piers and lighthouses will only be carried out once the weather improves.

"Shipping activities have been temporarily suspended due to the persistent adverse weather conditions, with little expectation of resuming within the next 24 to 48 hours," the port added.

Shields Ferry services have continued to be disrupted during the storm.

The ferry, which crosses the Tyne, was initially suspended until Saturday after the storm created a "significant tidal swell".

Nexus, which operates the ferry, has now confirmed that the service will remain suspended until Sunday.

Huw Lewis, Nexus' customer services director, said: "Storm Babet has caused a tidal swell which is going to carry on throughout Saturday. The ongoing suspension of our ferry crossings is in the interests of safety.

"This means that we won't be able to operate until Sunday morning at the earliest."

A replacement bus service on Friday is running every half an hour via the Tyne Tunnel, and that will continue on Saturday from 07:00 until 23:00.

DFDS has also suspended sailings between North Shields and Amsterdam due to the poor conditions in the North Sea.

The RNLI is warning the public to stay safe after reports that people were swimming in stormy weather on Thursday.

Geoff Cowan, water safety officer at Cullercoats RNLI, said: "The gale force winds of Storm Babet have produced some very large waves which are encouraging a lot of spectators at the coast.

"We would urge members of the public to stay well back as there is a real danger of being swept into the sea.

"Please do not put yourself in danger and if you do see someone in difficulties at the coast call 999 and ask for the coastguard."

The University of Sunderland has been forced to close one of its campuses because of the storm.

A spokesperson said: "Due to the ongoing adverse weather conditions, the university's St Peter's Campus has been closed to staff and students. There will be no access to the campus [on Friday] or over the weekend.

"The university's City Campus remains open as normal."

An open day was to be held on St Peter's Campus on Saturday but this has been cancelled. The open day taking place on City Campus will go ahead as planned.

Meanwhile, customers faced disruption on the Tyne and Wear Metro after a tree fell on to the tracks near Chillingham Road, Newcastle, prompting the suspension of services.

Also Whitley Bay Metro station and the concourse at North Shields were closed following damage due to the storm.

Metro tickets are being accepted on Stagecoach buses and Northern Trains services.

Homes in Northumberland suffered from power outages which Northern Powergrid described as "major".

A spokesperson for the company said a "high voltage overhead fault" in the area of Kirkwhelpington, Northumberland, initially affected 693 customers on Friday morning.

It said customer support vehicles had been in the area offering hot drinks and charging points to customers.

A wetland centre in Washington was also closed for the day due to the storm.

WWT Washington announced its closure on X, formerly known as Twitter. It said: "Due to the high winds & wet weather, we've decided to close [on Friday].

"We'll review and update later... the safety of our team and visitors is our top priority - stay safe out there everyone."

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