Thousands of homes without power as Storm Eleanor arrives in Britain

Met Office issues amber weather warning as forecasters say 80mph gales mean lives could be at risk

Thousands of homes have been left without power as Storm Eleanor hit Britain with winds of up to 80mph.

Forecasters warned lives could be at risk from flying debris as the fifth-named storm of the season arrived on Tuesday evening. An amber weather warning was issued for southern parts of Northern Ireland and northern England as well as southern fringes of Scotland overnight. Around 22,000 houses in Northern Ireland and scores more in England were affected by power cuts.