High winds and heavy rain cancel new year festivities

High winds and heavy rain battering the UK have caused travel problems and the cancellation of a swath of new year events including firework displays, charity swims, and a bathtub race that takes place in Europe's largest natural harbour.

- Mark Brown

The predicted strong winds led to the cancellation of displays heralding the arrival of 2025 in places including Blackpool, Newcastle's quayside, the Isle of Wight, Bangor in north Wales, and Ripon, North Yorkshire, joining the already cancelled Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh.

In Lowestoft, Suffolk, two firework displays scheduled for today were postponed until Saturday.

A spokesperson for Newcastle city council said the cancellation of its New Year's Eve fireworks was a tough decision, but "the forecast has made it clear that continuing would pose risks to those attending, as well as our event teams working on-site".

The Met Office has a patchwork of weather warnings in place for almost every part of the country until tomorrow, with people advised to check forecasts for their area.

Steve Willington, a Met Office chief meteorologist, said: "Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week, demonstrating that it is a complicated weather forecast at the moment."

There is a yellow warning across Wales and southern parts of England for much of today, with predicted coastal winds of up to 75mph.