New year events cancelled as high winds and heavy rain batter UK

Cancellations include Blackpool, Newcastle, Isle of Wight and Ripon, with weather also causing travel problems

High winds and heavy rain battering the UK have caused travel problems and the cancellation of a swathe of new year events including firework displays and a bathtub race that takes place in Europe's largest natural harbour.

The predicted strong winds led to the cancellation of displays heralding the arrival of 2025 in places including Blackpool, Newcastle's quayside, the Isle of Wight and Ripon, North Yorkshire, joining the already cancelled Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh.