Storm Ciaran puts three in hospital as 110mph 'monster gales' sparks major incident
Fierce 110mph winds have battered the Channel Islands, which have felt the wrath of hurricane-like gusts overnight - sparking emergency evacuations.
Storm Ciaran: Met Office forecasts strong winds and rain
The remote islands of Guernsey and Jersey are among the worst hit areas by Storm Ciaran, as the nation wakes up to brutal 110mph gusts.
The storm has reportedly hospitalised three people, with dozens more moved into emergency hotel rooms on the Channel Islands as winds rip through Britain.
Among the damage so far, roof tiles have been blown off houses and scattered into the roads, and the east of Jersey was said to have been hit with a tornado in the early hours.
Warnings have been issued across the nation, with widespread travel disruption, but Jersey and Guernsey have both been put on red alert, with lots of low-level coastline making for an easy flooding target.
In the south west of England, counties such as Cornwall and Devon have closed schools, and some schools in Kent are also turning children away.
A shocking video, published by the BBC, shows the moment a mother runs with her baby from their bedroom as the storm puts through their window.
The dramatic footage, taken from a baby monitor, in St Clement, Jersey, shows the mum roused from her sleep by the banging noise of the winds.
Moments later glass shatters all over her and her baby's next-to-me crib, forcing her to grab her child from the cot and flee.
The States of Jersey Police said: "There are lots of trees down island wide and we've just had a report of one down on Le Mont Fallu in St Peter, which is blocking the whole road."
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"La Route du Port Elizabeth at the Waterfront is closed due to segments of the Christmas tree being blown off. Our advice is still to stay indoors."
Jersey Consumer Council Chairman Carl Walker posted a video showing the devastation wrought by Ciaran this morning.
The footage, which he shared with his followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed a wall on a property having caved in following the extreme winds.
Viewers can see concrete collapsed on the ground and a fence having fallen on a nearby car.
As the camera pans, people can also see an uprooted tree, toppled bins and two mare cars draped in rubble from the collapsed wall.
It is not thought Guernsey is as badly affected as its neighbour, but there are still numerous reports of trees down and local, widespread floods.
Large hailstones have hit the islands and nine-metre swells have leapt up the coast, with videos showing colossal waves breaching storm defences.
The Jersey Met Section, the island chain's meteorological agency, issued a rare red weather warning today, the highest possible alert level.
Ferries to and out from the islands have been suspended, as have flights, as wind speeds reach 70mph widely and higher in smaller areas.
Other islands have experienced similar chaos, including the Isles of Scilly and Berry Head in south-west England, with inland winds reaching 60mph and the Met Office warning of a potential threat to life.
