Andy Burnham has warned the UK could face "a winter of greater flooding" as two storms bring disruption across the country this weekend. Thousands of homes are already without power and flights have been cancelled as a result of gale-force winds brought by the first named storm of the season, Storm Austen.
A second storm, Storm Boelo, is set to hit Northern Ireland, Scotland, and parts of northern England with what the Met Office has described as "impactful winds" over the weekend, with further amber weather warnings in force on Saturday and Sunday.
Prime Minister addresses resilience summit
This morning, the Prime Minister, Mr Burnham, was asked if the government is playing catch-up with civil preparedness as he attended a summit organised to learn from the summer's record wildfires.
The PM told reporters: "No, we are having the conversation with people about being better prepared because we're living in a world where unexpected events seem to be becoming more and more common.
"Obviously, weather events – and we're in a situation today where the UK is facing storms, and obviously we feel for the people without power in Cornwall right now – it is just having those supplies in the house to get you through those moments.
"We are having that conversation about resilience. That's why we're holding this summit today, it's why we're putting the guidance out to the public. We potentially are facing a winter of greater flooding, so it's about recognising all of those risks and taking action."
A government campaign aimed at urging people to stock supplies of food and essentials in case of multi-day emergencies made headlines overnight.
Storm Austen causes widespread disruption
Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, has brought severe conditions to parts of the South West, with a gust of 76mph recorded at St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly on Friday morning.
Just before 11am, more than 16,000 homes were without power in the South West, according to National Grid. Of those, more than 5,000 are customers who have signed up to the priority services register of people who may have additional needs or require extra support.
The Met Office had issued an amber warning for wind, covering Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, which was in effect from 1am until 10am on Friday.
The airline Loganair has cancelled a number of flights throughout Friday, including to and from Jersey, Bristol, Exeter and Southampton. There were seven cancellations at Gatwick Airport due to weather conditions in the Channel Islands.
Cornwall County Council's website listed more than 20 schools which had closed for the day, while more than 50 opened late.
Storm Boelo warnings in place for weekend
Forecasters said strong winds will be combined with spells of heavy rain, though gusts in the area will gradually ease over Friday.
However, an amber warning for wind from Storm Boelo is in place for 24 hours from 9pm on Saturday covering Scotland, the north coast of Northern Ireland, and Cumbria and Northumberland in the north of England.
Yellow weather warnings have been issued for the whole of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far north of England from 12pm on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.
There will be "widespread gusts" of 55-65mph widely, with these reaching up to 70-80mph in more exposed coastal locations, the Met Office added.
