Storm Abigail: 'Foamageddon' as British sea front engulfed in foam amid warning for motorists

'An event today is probably due to the high wind and waves being experienced as part of Storm Abigail'

Traffic came to a standstill at high tide along the Fylde coast in Lancashire as huge amounts of sea foam engulfed the promenade.

In the footage, cars are seen ploughing through the deep foam, which looks like snow.

The foam caused dangerous traffic conditions for many motorists, leading authorities to close the promenade between Fleetwood and Blackpool.

Sea foam forms when the ocean is agitated by wind and waves, a spokesperson for the Met Office explained.

"An event today is probably due to the high wind and waves being experienced as part of Storm Abigail," they said.

Storm warnings have been issued across northern England and every school in Scotland's Western Isles and Shetland has been closed after the storm hit the UK with winds of up to 84 mph.

Algal blooms are a source of thick sea foams, when large amounts of decaying algal matter wash ashore.

"The area in the Irish Sea should be fairly rich in terms of particulars and biological factors that help this happen."

Most sea form is not harmful to humans. It is only when large harmful algal blooms decay near shore that there are potential risks to human health and the environment.