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Storm leaves homes without power and cars wrecked

Stewart WhittinghamNorth West
Lisa Roberts A green tree has been completely uprooted and is on a wrecked silver car. In the background are houses.Lisa Roberts
A tree was uprooted and smashed into Lisa Roberts' car in Lancashire

Storm Boelo has uprooted trees which have smashed into cars and left tens of thousands of people without power as it blows across the North West.

SP Electricity North West said nearly 4,000 homes had been hit by power cuts. More than 500 homes were affected in Blackpool and 200 in Wigan alone.

A family day race meeting at Merseyside's Aintree racecourse has been cancelled, along with Visit Liverpool's River of Light event.

Grandmother Lisa Roberts said she had been left in tears after a tree fell on her car in Heysham, Lancashire.

Roberts told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We had just sat down to watch Strictly - there was a lot of noise outside but you expect that when it's windy.

"But suddenly there was an almighty noise and my husband went out and said 'it's a tree - it's landed on the car'.

"It smashed through the sunroof and the windscreen.

"It's not what we expected on a Saturday night [but] my five-year-old grandson did predict it.

"He said earlier 'look at that tree nana - it's going to fall over'."

She said nobody was injured.

Lisa Roberts A silver car parked at the side of the road with a large tree on top of it. It has been uprooted from the other side of the road and there are houses in the background.Lisa Roberts
Lisa Roberts' grandson predicted the tree outside her home was going to be uprooted

Electricity North West said 2,500 homes suffered power cuts in Lancashire as well as 900 in Greater Manchester and 500 in Merseyside.

Highs winds also uprooted trees across Manchester including one in Alexandra Park, Moss.

An uprooted tree blocked also blocked Mauldeth Road in Burnage.

A large tree falls across a road after being splintered from its roots.
A tree was uprooted by the storm in Mauldeth Road in Burnage, Manchester
The dark soil and roots of an uprooted large tree are exposed, surrounded by branches and leaves.
A tree torn from its roots in Alexandra Park, Manchester

Aintree racecourse said its Halloween Fun Day had been "abandoned due to high winds" after it reported gusts of up to 44mph.

In a statement, it said: "While we are disappointed, the safety of our participants, visitors and teams is our number one priority."

Bates pumpkin farm in Warrington, Cheshire, also announced it had shut for the day as the "50mph gusts are not safe to be on the farm".

Visit Liverpool announced its River of Light event, featuring illuminated artworks, had been cancelled "in the interests of safety".

EPA A woman, wearing a yellow coat and black trousers, struggles to hold onto her umbrella during strong winds in LiverpoolEPA
A woman struggles to hold onto her umbrella during high winds in Liverpool

Gusts of more than 70mph have been recorded in many areas and large waves have battered the coast.

The Met Office said Storm Boelo could bring a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves and people should stay indoors as much as possible.

Trams have been cancelled in Blackpool due to heavy rain and high winds, while Avanti West Coast has advised people not to travel north of Preston.

TransPennine Express said a tree fell on the line between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, causing major delays.

Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.

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