‘The wind chose VIOLENCE!’: Britons bunker down as 80mph gales slam England and Wales

Strong winds of 80mph are wreaking travel havoc across England and Wales for a second day – with hail and thunder set to spark more disruption this afternoon.  

An overturned lorry was pictured near Cirencester amid the strong winds today, and another heavy goods vehicle overturned on the A69 westbound between Hexham and Corbridge in Northumberland this morning. 

A trampoline was blown onto the railway near Tonbridge, causing disruption to South Eastern train services, and response teams visited a house struck by a fallen tree near Wednesbury.

A blast of 86mph hit Capel Curig in Snowdonia overnight, with speeds over 80mph recorded along the Llyn Peninsula on the North Wales coast. 

In Cornwall, more than 100 were left without power at Truro, and in the Midlands 110 were hit at Stourport-on-Severn, 154 at Ross-on-Wye and on the Welsh borders, 60 had no electricity for breakfast at Builth Wells.

Services across the Irish Sea have been cancelled because of the fury of the storms, while Cornwall has seen waves more than 20ft high, bigger than a double decker bus, crashing over sea defences.

Coastguards begged sight-seers not to venture out to take selfies of the waves, warning: ‘No photo is worth a life.’

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind covering the entirety of the two countries, with wind speeds predicted to be around 70mph in coastal areas and high ground. 

The warning came into force at 9pm on Wednesday evening and is set to last until 3pm on Thursday.

Reports also predict hail, thunder and even snow over high ground across Britain. 

Pictured: An overturned lorry near Cirencester, posted online this morning as Britain endures strong winds across the country

A heavy goods vehicle lies overturned on the A69 westbound between Hexham and Corbridge in Northumberland this morning

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind covering the entirety of England and Wales

Pictured: A trampoline on railway tracks causes disruption to South Eastern train services amid the windy weather

Pictured: A fallen tree on a house near Wednesbury after Britain endured a very windy night – and a yellow weather warning remains in place for England and Wales 

Britons endured a very windy night last night, with one taking to social media to say: ‘London wind woke up today and chose violence.’

The RNLI urged people to exercise caution if visiting exposed cliffs, seafronts or piers due to the ‘severe safety risk’ caused by the wind, which is expected to be accompanied by heavy showers. 

The charity’s head of water safety Gareth Morrison said earlier this week: ‘In a normal year around 150 people lose their lives at the coast and we know that more than half of those never intended to be in the water

‘So, whether you are walking, running or cycling at the coast, please be extra responsible and avoid taking unnecessary risks or entering the water.’

But the unsettled weather is expected to ease over the course of the weekend, with no weather warnings in place for the weekend.

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told the PA news agency: ‘The weekend is set to have an unsettled start but nothing usual for the time of year.’

He added: ‘We could see some strong winds during the early hours of Saturday morning and lots of heavy showers around particularly in the west.

‘But as we go head into Sunday they should become less frequent and not quite as heavy, so it is an unsettled start but as the weekend goes on the winds will start to ease a little bit.’

Winds are expected to reach up to 70mph across England and Wales, one dog was pictured bracing against the gales in Dungeness, Kent on Wednesday

Britons endured a very windy night last night, with one taking to social media to say: ‘London wind woke up today and chose violence’

Coastal areas have been hit hard by the strong winds, with waves crashing against the shore at Blackpool and in Porthcawl, South Wales