Moment 128-year-old lighthouse wrecked by sea in ferocious Storm Babet
New images show the moment huge 40ft-high waves destroyed a historic lighthouse as Storm Babet batters Britain’s coastline.
South Shields lighthouse in the North East is now missing its distinctive red and white dome after it was torn off by the sea.
Photographer Vicki Sinclair photographed the lighthouse - at the end of the River Tyne - before and after the waves smashed into the 128-year-old landmark. She said: “I came down this morning to see what the waves were like again and I noticed the dome was missing.
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The lighthouse was battered by the sea in high winds (Vicki Sinclair / SWNS)“The waves must have been so strong it was just ripped off. The Port of Tyne authority has been in touch with me to use the photographs to assess the damage. It’s wild out there.”
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
Onlookers expressed their shock at the force of Storm Babet. One said: “I live not far from the lighthouse and just walked out to buy some cigarettes but I could barely walk without getting shoved back by the wind. I’ve never known a storm like it. It’s a real shame the lighthouse has been damaged.
The lighthouse was missing its red and white dome in the aftermath (Vicki Sinclair / SWNS)Strong winds of up to 60mph are causing major transport disruption, and the stormy weather looks set to continue into Saturday. Major rail disruption has been caused across the UK, including several routes in north-west England, the Midlands and north Wales closed due to flooding.
Flood warnings are also in place at several locations across the country. A month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours in some parts of Scotland, and residents of the town of Brechin in Scottish county of Angus have been ordered to evacuate over 'significant danger to life' from flooding.
The storm has also claimed two lives so far. A 56-year-old van driver was killed when a tree smashed into his vehicle near Forfar, Angus, on Thursday night. Also in Angus on the same day, the body of a 57-year-old woman was recovered from a river,where a red weather alert was already in place.
Some people affected by the floods in Brechin may not be back in their homes by Christmas, one local councillor has warned. Gavin Nicol said the town's flood barriers are 3.8m high but the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has warned the water could reach 5m. He said: "With the amount of rain we're getting it might even supersede that. It's just a disaster. The water is not going down, it is still rising."
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