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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Daniel Morrow & Milo Boyd

Hotel collapses into water as Storm Ciara batters UK with 80mph winds and heavy rain

A hotel has collapsed into the water due to flooding caused by Storm Ciara.

Footage of the incident shows the The Bridge House Guest House in Hawick, Scotland falling into the swirling torrents below.

The hotel had been taped off by emergency services at around 9.30am this morning as water began coursing higher and higher up the riverside establishment, The Daily Record reported.

Fire crews rushed to the scene when the side of the building collapsed into the water.

The innards of the building, including photographs still hung on the walls, could be seen from the street as the bulging river continued to flow below.

One eyewitness, who was supposed to spend the night at the hotel, was advised that his reservation had been cancelled due to fears over the structure.

A number of the hotel’s guests and staff were seen spilling onto the street as chiefs worked to evacuate the building before the devastation.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "At around 9.30am, police in Hawick were made aware of structural damage to the Bridge House Guest House.

Huge waves are lashing the Ayrshire coast at Ardrossan (PA)

"Officers attended and assisted the fire service at the scene.

"The building has been evacuated and there has been no injuries."

The strength of the storm has caused chaos across the country.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in Blackpool, where the winds have caused the famous Big Wheel to rotate on its own.

Waves crash over the seawall in Blackpool (Mark McNeill/Bav Media)
The Burgh Le Marsh windmill in Lincolnshire (Sharon Noble / SWNS)

The M11 has been thrown into traffic chaos in Cambridgshire due to the roof of a hangar which has threatened to blow off into the road.

Storm Ciara even tore off the blades of the Burgh Le Marsh windmill in Lincolnshire.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled at airports across the UK, with Heathrow cancelling 472 flights, Gatwick 333 flights and Birmingham 101 flights.

The Humber Bridge, which connects East Riding of Yorkshire with North Lincolnshire, was closed to all traffic and pedestrians for only the second time in its history.

A lorry topples on the A20 near Dover (Stephen Lock / i-Images)
Building works have been destroyed in Blackpool (James Speakman/Mercury Press)

A couple from Willington have spoken of their disbelief after a tree crashed through their roof during high winds brought by Storm Ciara.

Marjorie and John Lowrie were in bed at around 7am on Sunday, February 9, when the tree fell onto their home in Hall Lane.

Mrs Lowrie said: “We were in bed when it happened. I was on the iPad reading the news. I never thought we would become the local news.

“There was just this big, roaring crash. The whole house shook from the impact.A couple from Willington have spoken of their disbelief after a tree crashed through their roof during high winds brought by Storm Ciara.

The engineering marvel built to protect the capital from the swollen Thames will close tomorrow.

The Thames Barrier has been operational since 1982 and has controlled the flow of the river from its spot east of the Isles of Dogs. 

It will be the 187th time it has closed in its 38 year history.

A red 'danger to life' warning has flagged the River Nidd at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley in north Yorkshire as the river over-tops flood defences.

More than 400 flood warnings and alerts had been issued across the UK as of Sunday afternoon as homes and businesses were in danger of being inundated by swollen streams.

John Hammond of weathertrending, an ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster, said: “It's the wildest weather of winter and it’ll feel the coldest it has all winter.

“Strong winds will blow wintry showers right across the country, with sleet flurries for the South and East.

“North-West Scotland's hills will get a battering by snow, with blizzards and metres of snow on higher mountains. Scotland’s ski season will finally be up and running.”

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