Storm Clodagh: Passenger Ferry Breaks Free Due To Gale Force In North Shields

Footage Shows Gale-Force Winds Causing Ferry To Break Free

Dramatic footage has emerged of a passenger ferry spinning in the water as it is battered by gale-force winds as Britain feels little respite from unsettled weather caused by Storm Clodagh

The DFDS Seaways vessel broke free of its moorings in North Shields on Sunday as winds of up to 70mph hit North East England.

The footage was captured by Steven Miller and posted on YouTube and Facebook yesterday. The video shows the vessel rotating amid the waves as trees can be seen billowing in the foreground.

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Storm Clodagh

Storm Clodagh

Brian Hall, of Commissioner’s Wharf, North Shields, saw the ship break from its moorings.

Speaking to local paper The Newcastle Chronicle, Mr Hall said: "There was a large bang and I looked out and saw the Princess Seaways ferry being pushed across the river.

"It is breached across the river and it looks as if it could be damaged. From the house it looked like there was some damage at the rear.

"A small dredger was on the river and it tried to push the ferry back into position but it didn’t have much success."

The force of the gales have led to collapsed stalls, fallen trees and travel disruption across northern parts of the country.

Almost a month's worth of rain was expected to fall in parts of Wales, the Met Office said. The Environment Agency has issued yellow flood warnings for Wales and the north of England for the next two days, with between 3 and 5 inches of rain expected in some areas.

Market traders in Newcastle were forced to pack up their Christmas market stalls due to the the high winds.

People have been sharing images of the damage wrought by Storm Clodagh.

Almost a month's worth of rain is expected to fall in parts of Wales, the Met Office said.

The Environment Agency has issued yellow flood warnings for Wales and the north of England for the next two days, with between three and five inches of rain expected in some areas.

The average for Wales for the month of November is 6.3 inches, said forecaster Marco Petagna. "We're going to see three-quarters of that fall in just one or two days," he said.

He added: "It is generally going to remain unsettled across the UK over the next couple of days."

Gusts of up to 50mph are forecast to hit coastal areas of the south-west, but the winds are expected to ease off into this evening.

The Met Office has warned of a risk of "localised disruption to travel" today due to wind speeds.

Although there is significant disruption in the north caused by the storm, southern parts of the country will see relatively mild temperatures for the time of year, the Press Association reports.

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