Netflix’s Skyscraper Live sees Alex Honnold triumph

Alex Honnold has sensationally scaled one of the tallest skyscrapers on Earth without ropes or safety gear.

The American rock climber took one hour, 31 minutes and 43 seconds to complete the hair-raising stunt on Saturday evening. On Friday night, just minutes before Skyscraper Live was due to air on Netflix on Friday (January 23), it was announced that the special had been postponed due to wet weather conditions in Taipei.

Fans of 40-year-old Honnold tuned in to watch the professional rock climber take on Taipei 101, the 1,667-foot, 101-story tower that dominates the skyline of Taiwan’s capital.

Built in 2004, Taipei 101 features mostly glass curtain walls, with balconies near the top that taper to a pointed peak. It was once the world’s tallest building until the construction of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2010.

Honnold is known for his record-breaking ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in 2017, which was captured in the Oscar-winning documentary, Free Solo.

He has noted that Taipei 101 was previously climbed by French urban climber Alain Robert — but with ropes. Honnold believes that reaching the top unaided would make it “the biggest urban free solo ever.”

Follow along below for live updates on the climb

‘British FBI’ to tackle terror and gang crime in police shake-up

A new national police force dubbed the “British FBI” will take over counterterror, fraud and criminal gang investigations as part of a major shake-up of policing to be announced by the home secretary.

The National Police Service (NPS) will fight complex and serious crime, such as terrorism, fraud, and organised crime in order to give overstretched local forces more time to focus on everyday offences, such as shoplifting and phone theft.

The NPS will combine the work of the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units under one super-force.

Shabana Mahmood, who is set to reveal widespread reforms to policing in a white paper on Monday, said she will lure “world-class talent” to the force, adding: “The current policing model was built for a different century.

“Some local forces lack the skills or resources they need to fight complex modern crime such as fraud, online child abuse or organised criminal gangs.”

The government is expected to radically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales from its current level of 43.

The Home Office wants to launch a direct entry scheme into senior roles to persuade professionals in the tech and finance sectors to lend their skills to the police. Police forces are also expected to face new targets for crime fighting under the changes, with those performing poorly named and shamed.

Other police forces that will be part of the NPS include Counter Terror Policing (CTP), led by the Metropolitan Police, police helicopter resources run by West Yorkshire Police and the National Roads Policing.

Ms Mahmood added: “We will create a new National Police Service – dubbed ‘the British FBI’ – deploying world-class talent and state-of-the-art technology to track down and catch dangerous criminals. In doing so, local forces will be able to spend more time fighting crime in their communities.”

The NPS will be headed up by a national police commissioner who will become the most senior police chief in the country.

Once up and running, it will set standards and training for policing and buy new technology such as facial recognition on behalf of all police forces.

The service would share technology, intelligence and resources across borders and be created in stages, working alongside the NCA, CTP and regional organised crime units for the transition.

Backing the plans, former head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Neil Basu, said it will be “far more capable as one national security system dealing more effectively with major crime, organised crime and terrorism in all its forms”.

It comes as officers in the City of London said they remained confident that they would keep their national responsibility for fraud under restructuring plans ahead of the announcement.

Head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley has previously supported the idea of the national responsibility for counterterrorism being removed from his force.

In a joint statement from the Met, CTP and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), they said they support a joint police service, but added: “This transformation, however, must be delivered with care. Its success depends on maintaining strong connections with local policing and the communities we serve.”

And Graeme Biggar, director general of the National Crime Agency, is also supporting the proposals. He said: “The overall policing system is out of date. Crime has changed, technology has changed, and how we respond needs to change.

“As part of reform, we need a single, stronger national law enforcement body, building on the NCA and others, to more coherently tackle organised crime, fraud, terrorism and the new international and online threats we face.”

Ministers have already announced plans to scrap police and crime commissioners in 2028 to save at least £100m and help fund neighbourhood policing.

Instead, mayors and council leaders will take up the responsibilities of policing arrangements.

Brave Pimblett bloodied and beaten by Gaethje in ridiculous title bout

Paddy Pimblett suffered a brutal, devastating defeat at UFC 324 on Saturday, as Justin Gaethje beat the Liverpudlian star in a five-round war in Las Vegas.

Gaethje won a chaotic contest at the T-Mobile Arena with scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, claiming the interim lightweight title in the process, and costing Pimblett a shot at his bitter rival, Ilia Topuria.

Heading into Saturday’s main event, Pimblett was 7-0 in the UFC, but against Gaethje, he faced his most-experienced opponent yet. And Gaethje’s experience was one of numerous factors that secured him victory over “Paddy The Baddy” in Sin City.

The match-up was largely sold as Gaethje’s knockout power against Pimblett’s submission threat, with many fans and pundits expecting an early finish.

But Pimblett, who once famously said, “I’m a Scouser, we don’t get knocked out,” withstood a frightening amount of punishment across 25 minutes – including multiple knockdowns and two eye pokes.

The fighting was frenzied from the start, and although Pimblett, 31, landed cleanly on his American foe, 37, throughout the bout, Gaethje’s power caused the Briton the greater trouble.

In the first round, amid the back-and-forth action, Gaethje dropped Pimblett by the fence, but the latter somehow survived before complaining of an eye poke later in the round.

By the midway point of round two, Pimblett was already sporting bad swelling around his right eye, and he was dropped again before the end of the frame. However, a replay between rounds showed that he had suffered a second eye poke before the knockdown. In round one, referee Marc Goddard had warned Gaethje that a second eye poke would cost him a point, but the official did not see the latter foul.

Even after two rounds, Pimblett’s corner team sounded panicked, begging him to take down Gaethje. Although Pimblett was not able to take down the American – or especially intent on doing so – he seemed to win the round. Before it was over, however, Gaethje complained of a low blow that halted the action.

Gaethje dropped Pimblett for a third time in the fourth round, as the Scouser continued to throw back and absorb considerable damage. The fifth round brought further sloppy work from both fighters but also immense heart, and a frantic end gave way to the final buzzer.

That sound heralded victory for Gaethje, who won the interim lightweight belt for the second time in his career. Gaethje, who previously held that version of the title in 2020, is now due to fight for undisputed gold for the third time, following two past losses.

Topuria should be next for Gaethje, with the regular champion due to return to the Octagon in spring. Topuria, 28, has been taking a break from mixed martial arts due to a “difficult moment” in his personal life, and many fans hoped he would return to take on Pimblett, with whom he has held a grudge since a hotel bust-up in 2022.

But that fight is not to be, for now at least, with Topuria vs Gaethje possibly a contender for the UFC’s planned White House fight card in June.

Meanwhile, Pimblett’s next move is unclear after his first UFC loss, but he will remain ranked in the top 10 and may not be far from another title fight in the future.

“I wanted to be walking away with that belt, and I know how tough I am anyway; I don’t need to prove it to anyone,” Pimblett said in the cage after the fight.

“I wanted to leave with that belt, but there’s no man I’d rather lose to than the ‘Highlight’, someone I grew up watching. It shows why he’s a legend, right there.

“I thought 48-47 was a fair scorecard. I’m not gonna lie, he hit me with a body shot in that first round, hit me right in the solar plexus, and it got me. I thought I was winning the round up until that point.

“I’m 31, you haven’t seen the last of me,” he added, before speaking up in support of men’s mental health, referencing two men close to him who apparently took their lives in recent months. The Liverpool FC fan also paid tribute to the club’s late forward Diogo Jota, and the footballer’s brother Andre Silva, both of whom died in a car crash last summer.

“Scousers cannot get knocked out!” Gathje said in his post-fight interview, paying tribute to Pimblett. “This Scouser does not get knocked out, what a f***ing gangster.

“I knew that I had to put him on his back foot. He’s very dangerous and has great timing. I had to work really hard, but champions move forward, and I just showed you why that is a must. I’ve just really got to trust my coach, ‘move him backwards and put your head on his chest’. I landed some mean ground and pound, that s*** was nasty!”

‘I’m 73 and afraid I’ll die without knowing what happened to my son’

When 16-year-old Damien Nettles disappeared, his mother Valerie was too afraid to leave the house. She stayed inside waiting, convinced that every set of footsteps outside meant her son was finally coming home.

But Ms Nettles is now 73, and on 2 November, it will be 30 years since she last saw her child. With no meaningful leads and a stalled investigation, she fears she may never learn the truth about what happened to him before she dies.

Damien’s disappearance devastated his entire family and caused his parents and three siblings’ lives to be irrevocably altered. “Thirty years is going to be hard to swallow,” Ms Nettles said. “But so was 29 years, so was 28 years, and so was one year.”

AsThe Independent has raised £165,000 to launch SafeCall – a free new service to help missing children find support and safety no matter what – and continues to raise more, we spoke to Ms Nettles, who still hopes she will one day find out what happened to her son.

Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give £10 to Missing People – enough for one child to get help.

Damien’s grandparents and uncle died not knowing what happened to him, and Ms Nettles fears she will face the same fate too. Even now, she still keeps his teddy bears in his room and hangs up his stocking at Christmas.

“I don’t buy him presents anymore because one year I found the presents from the year before,” she told The Independent.

“It doesn’t go away, it’s on my mind all the time and it’s worse because we have no conclusion as to what happened. It’s an open sore.”

Damien, a “kind and funny” Isle of Wight teenager, went to a party with his friends on a wintry Saturday night in 1996.

His mother had given him a curfew of 10pm, which he persuaded her to push back to midnight. She thought she didn’t have to worry about Damien, as the island was a small place where everybody knew everyone.

Damien and his friend left the party and began walking home at 10.30pm, but after taking separate routes, Damien returned to town to look for his older sister Sarah.

CCTV captured him at Yorkies Fish and Chip shop in Cowes at 11.40pm that night, and shortly after, he was seen walking alone on the high street in footage which Hampshire Police later lost.

When Ms Nettles realised he wasn’t in his bed the next morning, she had assumed he was staying with a friend. But as the hours wore on and Damien didn’t come home, she knew something was deeply wrong.

After filing a police report, Ms Nettles said she was told that Damien would be home by tea time and that his disappearance was something “all boys do at the age of 16”.

She claimed the first 48 hours of his disappearance, vital in a missing person investigation, were not taken seriously by the police and the family had to launch their own search party and obtain CCTV themselves.

While the investigation ticked on for several years, and still remains open today, Ms Nettles feels Damien’s case was always sidelined.

She is now living 5,000 miles away in Texas, in the United States, but still makes every attempt to get any answer that she can.

Not one day has gone by that she hasn’t thought about Damien. “It’s terrible, it’s horrible, it’s altered the shape of our lives,” Ms Nettles said. “Damien came first. It’s always been Damien. I think about him every single day. It doesn’t go away.”

Without any answers, she worries that her children, who have had to grow up without their brother, will be left with the legacy of his disappearance.

In 2011, police arrested eight people, but all suspects were later released without charge.

“Someone is going to have to walk in their door and confess before [the police] are going to do anything,” Ms Nettles said.

“I would much prefer for somebody to tell me where he is so we can go find him, and I can bring him home, and I can give him a funeral, and I’ll have a spot where he is so that I can go and visit.

“I’m not going to give up hope, I’m always going to have a glimmer of hope. I can only hope that if there is a heaven, I’ll find him up there.”

Detective superintendent Nick Plummer from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said: “Our shared objective with the Nettles family remains finding out what happened to Damien.

“We understand the concerns raised by members of the Nettles family about the standards of our initial investigation. A complaint was received in 2016, where two elements raised were upheld following an investigation. A detailed apology was subsequently provided to Damien’s family.

“It’s important to stress that this is still an open case and any new credible information will be explored for any viable lines of enquiry.”

Please donate now to The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which has raised £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.

For advice, support and options if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000. It’s free, confidential and non-judgemental. Or visit missingpeople.org.uk/get-help

‘Brutal’ Kyiv attack cuts off power as Abu Dhabi peace talks end without breakthrough

Vladimir Putin ordered a “brutal” attack on Kyiv that has left millions without power as trilateral peace talks were underway in Abu Dhabi, according to Ukrainian officials.

The two-day negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, marked the first such talks since the war erupted in February 2022, but they drew to a close on Saturday with no significant breakthroughs made. The Donbas region, including the largely Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, remain a sticking point for both countries.

The second day of talks came as dozens of people were injured in Kyiv and Kharkiv, with at least one person dead in the capital, after Russia launched a major missile and drone attack, according to Ukrainian officials.

“Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table.”

The attack on Ukraine’s energy system also left 1.2 million properties without power countrywide on Saturday, with temperatures in Kyiv hovering around -10C.

What the future of travel looks like in 2026

Are we done with viral hotspots? According to travel comparison site KAYAK’s WTF (that’s What The Future, by the way) 2026 trends report, the era of copy-paste travel may finally be winding down. Not because people are travelling less – quite the opposite – but because they’re travelling differently.

Drawing on billions of user searches, an independent survey from more than 14,000 Gen Z and Millennial travellers – including over 2,000 next-gen UK travellers – and exclusive TikTok community insights, KAYAK’s report shows a shift away from headline destinations and performative travel. In their place? Shorter breaks, quieter cities, better value and experiences that feel personal rather than pre-approved.

Here’s what that looks like in practice, and where those trends could take you.

The next “it” destination, it turns out, is the one you haven’t already seen 50 times on your phone. According to KAYAK, 71 per cent of Gen Z and 75 per cent of Millennials actively want to visit places they’ve never been before, while TikTok posts tagged #hiddengems are up more than 50 per cent. Saturation is the new turn-off.

Cork fits that brief neatly. Long treated as a stopping point on the way to somewhere else, Ireland’s second city still flies under the algorithmic radar. Yet it rewards curiosity in small, satisfying ways: a walkable centre, a burgeoning food scene and easy access to coastline and countryside without the fanfare.

Base yourself near Shandon rather than around the busier quays, and start the day with a stroll along the River Lee before the city fully wakes up. For dinner, follow locals to the English Market at lunchtime, then head out to Ballycotton or Garretstown the next morning.

Travellers aren’t cancelling trips in 2026, they’re financing them more creatively. Nearly 30 per cent of Gen Z and Millennial travellers say installment plans will determine how many trips they take, while KAYAK data shows international fares from the UK sitting almost exactly where they were last year. Add a 52 per cent rise in the use of flight price alerts and the picture becomes clear: deal-hunting has gone mainstream.

This shift favours cities that deliver substance without sticker shock. Bilbao still fits the bill, but it’s the city’s everyday pleasures that offer the real value. Skip the Guggenheim café and eat at Gure Toki or Sorginzulo for pintxos done properly. Better still, cross the river into Deusto at lunchtime, where menus del día feel resolutely local and prices soften noticeably. Savvy travellers are stretching budgets without sacrificing experience, and places like Bilbao are making it easy for them.

Forget souvenirs. In 2026, it’s goosebumps people are packing for. More than half of travellers say natural wonders will shape their plans, and 34 per cent list awe-inspiring experiences as a top priority. That’s driving renewed interest in northern landscapes, but not always the obvious ones.

While Tromsø continues to top bucket lists, travellers looking for something fresher are turning towards Christchurch, New Zealand as a gateway rather than a destination in itself. From here, the night skies of the Canterbury plains offer serious dark-sky credentials without the premium price tags of more famous stargazing spots. Pair it with a drive to Lake Tekapo or a night at Mt John Observatory, and prepare to be amazed as the universe puts on one of its more impressive galactic light shows.

AI has officially replaced your mate who “went once and loved it”. Nearly six in 10 travellers say they’d change destination if AI suggested somewhere better, and half would do so for a better deal. Notably, 44 per cent of AI prompts are now about value, not inspiration.

AI can also steer travellers toward lesser-visited cities that prioritise authentic, local experiences over familiar tourist circuits. Fukuoka, in particular, remains one of the country’s most liveable and engaging destinations, offering a compelling blend of modern convenience and rich cultural heritage. Base yourself near Hakata Station for better-value hotels, then eat like a local at the yatai food stalls along the Naka River. It’s informal, affordable and far more revealing than a booked-out tasting menu. Leveraging AI-led planning tools helps today’s savvy travellers to unlock the city’s true potential, moving beyond generic guidebook recommendations.

Luxury, redefined, looks suspiciously like a good night’s sleep. KAYAK’s report shows 69 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials travel primarily for mental reset, while wellness-led luxury continues to rise. The emphasis has shifted from showing off to switching off.

The Greek island of Zakynthos excels here, particularly inland. Head to villages such as Kiliomenos, where evenings are cooler and dinner at family-run tavernas like Latas stretches lazily into the night. No playlists, no dress code, just plates refilled without fuss. For one in five travellers, it’s the small comforts that matter most: a quiet morning, decent coffee, and nowhere you’re expected to be. Wellness travel isn’t about spa breaks and luxury escapes anymore; it’s about coming back better than you left.

The big-city rush is out. In 2026, 84 per cent of younger travellers say they’d rather visit a smaller city or rural area than a major hub. Lower prices help, but the real appeal is authenticity that doesn’t need explaining.

Bastia, in northern Corsica, perfectly exemplifies the trend. Mornings on the old port unfold naturally with fishermen unloading and café chairs scraping into place. Walk up to the Citadelle before the heat builds, then lunch at U San Ghjuvà for unfussy Corsican cooking. These are places where life hasn’t been edited for visitors. Yes, social media still nudges people towards them, but only once they’re already halfway there.

In 2026, the destination is wherever the action is. An overwhelming 95 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials plan to travel for a major event, whether that’s a concert, a sporting tournament or a once-in-a-lifetime performance.

Cities that flex around calendars are winning. In Canada, Toronto works as a terrific base. But those thinking ahead are looking beyond the obvious to places like Halifax, where festivals, touring acts and sporting events are easier to access and far less inflated by demand. Stay near the waterfront, eat at The Bicycle Thief, and let the event anchor the trip rather than dominate it.

Over half of travellers say slower travel helps clear their head, and #slowtravel content has surged by almost 330 per cent on TikTok. But the aim isn’t inactivity, more a break from decision-making.

The Azores remain a benchmark, but similar benefits can be found in places like Praia in Cape Verde. The rhythm is gentle, the beaches walkable, and long lunches at Quintal da Música turn into evenings almost by accident. Headspace holidays aren’t about ticking boxes, they’re about removing friction and the demand for constant optimisation.

Adventure hasn’t disappeared, it’s simply grown up. Nearly one in four travellers now combine light outdoor activity with proper rest, while searches for amenities like terraces, hot tubs and gyms continue to rise. The Great Outdoors is now more likely to be paired with a Quite Decent bottle of wine.

Hilo, on Hawaii’s Big Island, captures that softer approach to adventure perfectly. Base yourself here and mornings might mean walking the edge of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park or taking an easy hike through the stunning scenery of Akaka Falls rainforest. Afternoons are for slowing down: soaking in naturally warmed ocean pools, lingering over poke bowls or fresh fish, and letting yourself reset.

Who says holidays have to be long? Nearly two-thirds of travellers plan to take several shorter trips in 2026, with searches for one-to-four-day breaks continuing to rise. The appeal is immediacy: quick resets, minimal planning and maximum reward.

Milan makes for an excellent Nanocation. Trains run on time, neighbourhoods are compact, and finding good food rarely requires much research. Rather than chasing the Duomo and moving on, spend a night in areas like Isola or Porta Venezia, where the city feels lived-in rather than visited. Grab a seat for aperitivo along the Navigli as the working day winds down, eat late without ceremony, and walk everywhere. Milan rewards restraint; do it right, and even 24 hours can feel like a proper break.

With billions of user searches across its platforms, KAYAK helps travellers find their perfect flight, stay, rental car or holiday package. Download the app here and start exploring.

Why Trump is panicking about the Supreme Court and tariffs

The giveaway with Donald Trump is when he starts bleating. He likes to use his Truth Social platform to warn of something before it has actually happened, choosing, as ever, apocalyptic language and block capitals. It is a sign he is nervy and unsettled, that he is not getting his way.

So it is, with the imminent US Supreme Court decision on his tariff regime. “WE’RE SCREWED,” he wrote, saying it would be a “complete mess” if the judges went against his strategy. Businesses may be able to claim refunds, fuelling Trump’s further unease: “It would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about. And even, who, when and where, to pay.”

What is under consideration, at the behest of a clutch of small businesses and some US states, is the legality of Trump’s “emergency” tariffs – the ones imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA and proclaimed on “liberation day”.

They also cover the anti-fentanyl measures levied on Canada, Mexico and China. Excluded are those that were justified on grounds of “national security”, such as steel and aluminium, or those that were in response to deemed unfair foreign practices. Nor is the court opining on the charges that came in after “liberation day”, via subsequent trade deals.

It still represents around half of his new tariffs. If his administration was ordered to pay back, the hit would be a not inconsiderable $130bn. More importantly, the blow to the president’s majesty would be enormous.

Currently, the markets are predicting only a 30 per cent likelihood of Trump winning. He has lost previously in two lower courts. At a hearing in November, a majority of the highest justices in the land were heavily questioning the government’s case. Conservative judges did not appear impressed. That’s why Trump is nervous; why, too, he has repeatedly attacked the lawsuit, stepping up his tirade as the verdict nears.

In reality, he always was on thin ground. No president had used the 1977 IEEPA in that way before. His trade secretary, Scott Bessent, struggled to present a scarcely credible justification, insisting “the national emergency is avoiding a national emergency”. That is really what is under scrutiny here: the weaponising of tariffs in a fight that exists in Trump’s imagination.

Those trying to get the tariffs overturned argue that the IEEPA does not even use the word “tariffs”. Under the US constitution, it is Congress that introduces taxes, not the president acting alone.

Prepare for more gnashing and stomping. The fact that investors will be delighted and shares will head upwards as a result will not deter him. Firms will likely ramp up their import orders, frontloading them, to take advantage of the lower rates. They will do so in the knowledge that this is an obdurate leader who is not minded to reversing because a group of lawyers do not approve.

Neither can they expect a payday anytime soon. Refunds would be “almost impossible for our Country to pay”, Trump asserted this week. “Anybody who says that it can be quickly and easily done would be making a false, inaccurate or totally misunderstood answer to this very large and complex question.”

He has made tariffs his weapon of choice, as we saw again recently over Greenland. Far from backing off, Trump will almost certainly double down, making the duties temporary and product-specific under a different piece of legislation, the Trade Act of 1974. That would allow him to raise tariffs of up to 15 per cent for 150 days.

We’ve seen climbdowns from him, but such is the importance Trump has attached to tariffs, the feeling among White House-watchers is that he will not budge. That was in evidence at Davos, where there was wide acceptance that, come what may, tariffs are here to stay. Trump is fixated by them; he understands them, no one gets killed or injured, although there is inevitable socio-economic fallout, but that does not concern him. They’re a stick that he can wave, that plays directly to Maga, and as he sees it, America’s exploitation and betrayal.

Having to reimburse would hurt financially. One of the less shouted aspects of his onslaught is the levies’ revenue-earning potential. He’s portrayed them as striking back at those who have been plundering America and taking its wealth and might for granted, but they are intended as well to boost the federal coffers.

What this means, therefore, is yet additional uncertainty and volatility. The court may rule out his policy; he will seek another route to ensure it remains, at least in a respectable form. Avoiding humiliating personal capitulation will be his top priority. It will take time for the dust to settle and a clearer picture to emerge, if it ever does with this president. That will impact on businesses across the globe, which are left in limbo, not knowing what may be coming down the track. That will put investment decisions, already made and affected in many cases by geopolitical and economic fragility, on hold.

One judge, Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Trump, said that refunding the tariffs would be a “complete mess” – words that Trump himself chose to echo. That was in relation to repayments. It does not follow that the system itself is wrong.

He will be furious; businesses will be entitled to feel relieved. They should be under no illusion, as with horror movies, in all likelihood, there will be a sequel. The Supreme Court may not like them, but we have not heard the last of Trump and tariffs.

Storm Ingrid: Where snow and heavy rain are set to hit this weekend

The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings over the weekend as Storm Ingrid descends upon the UK with heavy rain, lashing winds, and snow.

Three separate yellow weather warnings for rain are in place over the weekend for the south west of England, Wales, parts of eastern Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The south west of England and Wales has been under a heavy rain warning since 2am on Friday, set to last until 10pm Saturday, as the Met Office warns Storm Ingrid (named by IPMA, the Portuguese Met Service), will slowly drift northwards over the Celtic Sea during Saturday.

Bands of frequent heavy showers revolving around its centre, merging into longer spells of rain at times. An additional 20-40 mm, and in a few exposed locations, 50 mm of rainfall is expected to fall.

Meanwhile, eastern parts of Scotland will see a further 20-30 mm of rain, and a few spots could see 50 mm, after three days of wet weather across the region, set to last until 9am on Sunday. Some places have already seen in excess of 100mm of rain. Above 400-500 metres, however, a lot of this will fall as snow, with rain confined to areas of ground below this level.

Northern Ireland will see heavy rain overnight from 8pm Saturday into Sunday at 9am. As part of the slow-moving low-pressure system, 10-20 mm is expected widely and in a few spots as much as 25 mm could fall in a 12 hour period, leading to localised flooding and difficult driving conditions.

It will also become windy with easterly winds gusting 30 to 35 mph inland and to 45 to 55 mph on some coasts and over high ground. Winds will ease after midnight.

Perth and Kinross Council said many roads in the region were closed due to flooding as of 6am on Friday, including the A94 between A93 Meikleour crossroads and A923 Bendochy crossroads, and the Queen’s Bridge in Perth.

Two people were rescued from a minibus on the B977 near Kintore at around 8.30am on Thursday, while another person was brought to safety from a car in a separate incident at around the same time near Banchory.

Across the south west of England and Wales, gusts of 45 to 50mph battered the inland, with winds peaking during Friday evening before gradually easing overnight into Saturday morning.

The Environment Agency has issued 30 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 152 flood alerts, where flooding is possible. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 11 flood warnings and four flood alerts. Three alerts are in place across Wales, according to Natural Resources Wales.

Met Office Chief Forecaster, Andy Page, said: “Unsettled weather continues for many across the UK with persistent and heavy rain in parts of Scotland with snow over higher ground, and strong winds and heavy rain in southwestern England and southern Wales. Elsewhere, while it’ll be a breezy weekend, there will be brighter and drier spells with occasional showers passing through fairly quickly.”

The areas affected are: