Storm Agnes set to batter Black Country - 19-hour weather warning in place

The Met office has issued weather warnings ahead of the arrival of Storm Agnes with strong winds and heavy rain set to cause floods, power cuts and to tear down trees.

The first named storm of the season could batter the UK on Wednesday with winds of up to 75mph and cause dangerous conditions along coastlines.

The Met Office weather warning includes the Black Country and Staffordshire region, and it is expected to last until 7am on Thursday.

Gusts of up to 75mph are expected on higher ground and exposed coastal areas, with inland areas forecast to see gusts of 45 to 50mph.

The storm could cause power cuts, blow tiles from roofs and disrupt railways and roads, the Met Office has warned on its website.

Met Office spokesperson Oli Claydon also warned the storm could knock trees over and disrupt the Irish Sea ferry network.

He told the PA news agency: “The storm centre itself remains over the Atlantic and will continue approaching and cross the UK through Wednesday afternoon and will move away Wednesday night into Thursday.

“In terms of most impacted areas, we’re looking at the Irish Sea coasts, so south-eastern parts of Northern Ireland, west and north-western coasts of Wales, and the north-western coast of England.”

On the Met Office website, the weather warning includes the following information:

• Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible

• Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen

• Some power cuts are likely to occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage

• Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. Some roads and bridges are likely to close

• There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life that could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties, with a chance of some minor flooding of coastal roads