Over 200 calls made to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service during Storm Darragh

Over 200 calls were made to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service over the weekend after the region was hit by strong winds and flash flooding caused by Storm Darragh.

An amber weather warning was in place across the region on Saturday along with a rare red alert across parts of the North Wales coast.

Gusts reached up to 70mph locally while some parts of the region experienced wind speeds of more than 90mph.

The storm caused significant damage across North Wales, including flash flooding, fallen trees, and damage to homes and property – part of Hawarden High School, the roof of the Racecourse in Wrexham and kiosks on Llandudno Pier.

Many homes within the red warning area were also left without power during the height of the storm.

Over the course of the weekend, the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service control room received 202 calls related to the severe weather, 188 of which were received on Saturday.

Anthony Jones, Head of Planning, Performance and Transformation for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “We attended incidents including those involving dangerous structures due to the wind, fallen trees, electrical installations affected, house fires due to electrical issues and internal/external flooding incidents – including driving through flood water.

“I’d like to thank our dedicated staff and colleagues within our partner organisations who worked throughout this busy period to help protect our communities.

“I’d also like to thank the members of the public who demonstrated understanding and patience while following our advice relating to severe weather.

“Unfortunately, we once again received a number of calls from people who had driven through flood water and found themselves in trouble.

“These calls tied up our control staff and our responding crews when resources were stretched.

“We’d appeal to everyone to heed our advice and that of our partners – including keeping away from flooded areas and avoiding driving through floodwater.”

[Photo X/@snapshotjo]