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Storm Eowyn brought widespread closures in Ireland and parts of the UK on Friday as flights, rail services and hospitals were all disrupted.

But Saturday is set to see more disarray in the wake of the battering communities took.

Here’s what we know:

Police Scotland asked people to “continue to avoid” travelling in the dangerous weather into the weekend and ScotRail said that while it would work to reopen lines, customers shouldn’t expect any trains to run before midday on Saturday at the earliest.

National Rail said journeys may be affected on Saturday, and asked customers to check before travelling.

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Phone alerts for Storm Eowyn

Weather warnings in place

There are still three weather warnings in place across Scotland on Saturday including an amber alert for wind – meaning danger to life.

More on Northern Ireland

In England there is a warning in place for ice until 10am stretching from Plymouth to Nottingham, and in Northern Ireland a snow and ice alert until 10am.

There are further alerts warning of wind and rain into Sunday and Monday across parts of the UK.

More on this story:
Eowyn’s record winds bring destruction
Check the weather where you are

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Storm damage

The department for infrastructure in Northern Ireland said 1,800 trees had fallen and police added it could take days to assess the storm damage.

They warned people that even after the storm passed structures could be weakened.

Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck, who is in charge of the storm response operation, said on Friday evening “we are still not out of the potential risks in respect of this storm”.

“Many roads right across Northern Ireland do continue to be impassable, with fallen trees debris and power lines down,” he added.

A fallen tree on Mullaghmore Road near Dungannon.  
Pic: PA
Image:
A fallen tree on Mullaghmore Road near Dungannon. Pic: PA

Celtic FC in Glasgow said the club’s stadium was damaged by the storm and they were “unable to confirm at this stage” whether their game against Dundee would go ahead. A final decision is expected to be made on Saturday morning.

The Scottish League One game between Arbroath and Kelty Hearts was postponed due to storm damage at the stadium.

Dublin Airport said flight operations were “moving well” on Friday evening, but Edinburgh Airport said it expected “knock-on” impacts over the next few days, so passengers should check with their airline for the latest flight information.

The Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said that after 725,000 homes and businesses were left without power on Friday further outages were possible into Saturday. Some properties could be left in the dark for up to a week.

On Friday night a map of outages in Northern Ireland showed power cuts across the region. Authorities said around 250,000 household and businesses were still without power. It could take up to 10 days for them all to be reconnected.

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UK

IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

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IT issue affects flights at Edinburgh Airport

All flights were halted at Edinburgh Airport this morning due to an IT issue affecting its air traffic control provider.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the airport later announced service had resumed.

Its post read: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.

“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”

But passengers continue to feel the effects.

A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Edinburgh was diverted to Dublin after going into a holding pattern over the Scottish capital.

And a live arrivals board on the airport’s website showed multiple flights diverted, delayed and cancelled.

Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport
Image:
Arrivals board at Edinburgh Airport. Pic: Edinburgh Airport

Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were due to fly easyJet from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on their first trip away together.

Morven told Sky News: “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an announcement that it had been cancelled.

“I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together. We are just gutted and stressed.”

Follow live: Latest updates as flights halted

Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA
Image:
Arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. File pic: PA

One passenger was on a plane when they found out.

They said: “We boarded our flight and pushed back on time for an 8.45 (am) departure, then sat for a while before the pilot told us what was happening.

“He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant at handing out water etc, and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat. But then you do wonder how long for, just been told we’re hoping to be in the air in 20 minutes.”

Another passenger told us: “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were halfway through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air traffic control down.

“No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding, with no reason. I suspect problems started about 9am.”

It comes after an earlier announcement that all flights had been halted.

“No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” the previous statement said.

“Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.”

There was no timeframe for recovery initially, Sky News learned.

It’s understood by PA that the issue was not linked to today’s Cloudflare outage.

Edinburgh Trams also posted on X, writing: “If you’re travelling with us to @EDI_Airport this morning, please be aware that flights are not currently operating.”

The airport urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on flights.

An average of 43,000 passengers per day use the airport, which is served by 37 airlines flying to 155 destinations.

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

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Teenager fatally hit by car on motorway had been tasered by police, watchdog says

The police watchdog says it is investigating after a teenager who was tasered by an officer on a motorway was fatally hit by a car.

Logan Smith, 18, was being taken to hospital in an ambulance at about 11pm on Sunday when the vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the M5 in Somerset.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the vehicle stopped on the northbound carriageway “due to the concerns of ambulance staff”.

Mr Smith got out of the ambulance near the junction for Weston-super-Mare and “entered the live lanes of the motorway”, the watchdog added.

Police were called and an officer arrived at the scene, with bodycam footage showing the officer discharging their Taser, causing the teenager to fall to the ground.

“Soon afterwards” Mr Smith was struck by a car travelling on the southbound carriageway, the IOPC said.

The watchdog said it was investigating the “actions and decisions taken by Avon and Somerset Police prior to the death of a teenager”.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “My thoughts and sympathies are with Logan’s family and friends and everyone affected by this shocking and tragic incident. 

“We want to reassure everyone that we will independently investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the use of a Taser.

“After being notified by the force, we sent our investigators to the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.

“We have taken initial accounts from the officer and ambulance staff involved.

“We met with Logan’s family on Tuesday, to give our condolences, explain our role and to provide some further detail about our investigation, including a Taser being discharged during the incident.

“We will continue to keep them updated and they request that their privacy be respected at such a difficult time.”

The coroner has been informed and formal identification and a post-mortem have taken place.

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

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Former doctor charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients

A former doctor has been charged over alleged sexual assaults on 38 patients in his care.

Nathaniel Spencer, 38, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.

It follows a police investigation into alleged sexual offences between 2017 and 2021.

Staffordshire Police said in a statement the charges come after a complex investigation by the Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre
Image:
North Staffordshire Justice Centre

Ben Samples, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands CPS Complex Casework Unit and Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit, said: “We have decided to prosecute Nathaniel Spencer for a number of serious sexual offences allegedly carried out against patients while he was working as a doctor – including assault by penetration and sexual assault against a child.

“Our prosecutors have worked at length to support a detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police, carefully reviewing the available evidence to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

Spencer, from Birmingham, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.

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