Amber warning over much of UK as Storm Goretti hits

Gusts of up to 100mph recorded in southwest of England

- JANE DALTON

Storm Goretti brought a potentially deadly mix of violent winds, ice and heavy snow and rains yesterday, forcing schools to close and leaving thousands of homes without power.

Gusts of up to 100mph were recorded as authorities issued a rare red warning - the highest level - of winds for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.

Emergency alerts were sent to mobile phones in the area and they sounded an alarm even if set to silent.

More than 40,000 properties in southwest England suffered power cuts, according to National Grid.

A red warning officially means “it is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure”.

The Met Office says of red warnings: “You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.”

Rain started to turn to snow in the west country, the Midlands, Wales and the Pennines, as part of the “weather bomb” hitting the country.

An amber warning for snow last night and into this morning was in place across a swathe of the UK from southeast England to south Wales and southwest England to Yorkshire and Scotland. Yorkshire and the east of England were also under a yellow warning of rain overnight.