UK weather forecast: Storm Callum brings travel chaos and cuts power supplies

Flood alerts in place across south Wales and gale forces wind set to batter Britain’s west coast

Storm Callum cut power to tens of thousands of homes and caused the cancellation of dozens of flights as winds of up to 70mph and heavy rain battered the British Isles.

More than 60,000 homes in Ireland were left without electricity and 1,000 in Northern Ireland as the Met Office issued a number of weather warnings.

A number of coastal defences in Devon were also breached as vehicles struggled to drive along the seafront.

Dozens of flights at Belfast City airport were cancelled, and ferry crossings between Wales and Ireland were also disrupted because of the weather.

Storm Callum also swept though the west of Scotland, causing a number of landslips.

Approximately 300 tonnes of debris from the hillside on to the A83 in Argyll and Bute leading to road closures stretching almost 60 miles.

A woman walks her dog in Ardrossan as Storm Callum hits Scotland (Reuters)

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: “The landslides at the Rest and Be Thankful this week have been some of the most challenging in recent memory both for the community and for the teams working in difficult conditions.

“I saw for myself this morning the size of the challenge with secondary slips complicating matters and delaying use of the Old Military Road diversion route.”

A 36-hour amber warning is currently in place across south Wales, while yellow warnings for heavy rain are in place across much of the country.

The weather service said it was “likely” some homes in south Wales would experience flooding, and there was a “good chance” some communities would be cut off by flooded roads.

Some parts of Wales could see up to 160mm of rain – almost two months’ worth – over the weekend.

“The wind gust will approach 40 to 50mph across western parts of Scotland, across Wales, western England and Northern Ireland,” said Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern.

“Big waves are a risk. We could see coastal impacts from those and inland impacts from those strong winds as well.”

Although the strong winds are set to die down on Sunday, the wet weather is set to continue across much of the UK over the weekend.

Only the southeast of England is expected to enjoy a break from the rain on Saturday, when a bright spell in the region could see temperatures reach 24C.