Organisers cancel events in Wigan as Storm Darragh batters the country

The fourth named storm of the season has seen millions of people warned to stay indoors, thousands without power and trains being cancelled, after the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England.

A separate amber warning covering a larger stretch of the west coast of the UK, from southern Scotland to Cornwall, and Northern Ireland is in place from 1am until 9pm on Saturday.

Flying debris and falling trees could pose a risk to life, while there could also be damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down, as well as power cuts affecting other services such as mobile phone coverage.

It has led to organisers cancelling several events due to take place in Wigan on Saturday, including an artisan and craft fair in the town centre and both Haigh Woodland and Pennington Flash parkruns.

A post on Haigh Woodland parkrun’s Facebook page said: “We are cancelled. Please take care travelling if you do decide to go to a different parkrun.

“Please understand we have cancelled for a good reason and do not attempt our parkrun course, especially alone. Stay safe everyone.”

A Christmas fair due to be held in Atherton has been postponed until next Saturday and a nativity trail in Aspull will now take place tomorrow.

Motorists are being urged to be prepared before they make any journeys and National Rail said the storm was likely to affect services across the whole network.