Historic pier damaged during Storm Ingrid amid three UK weather warnings
Parts of a historic pier in Devon were flooded as Storm Ingrid ravaged parts of the UK.
Footage shared by Teignmouth National Coast Watch (NCI) shows a large part of Teignmouth Grand Pier, built in 1865, disappearing as large waves pounded the coastline on Friday night and into Saturday.
The NCI posted a warning on social media Saturday morning for people in the area to be careful around the coast, warning that they had “never seen this challenging before” ahead of the high waters.
The organization wrote: “I’ve never seen such harsh conditions on a Saturday morning and there’s still 80 minutes to go before high tide (9.40am and 4.35m). Unfortunately we’ve lost a large section at the end of the pier, you can see the gap. Be very careful out there, it’s dangerous.”
Three yellow weather warnings for rain are in place across the UK as Storm Ingrid, named by Portuguese weather service IPMA, brings heavy rain and winds of up to 60mph to the country.
A heavy rain warning has been in place in south-west England and Wales since 02:00 on Friday and will continue until 22:00 on Saturday. Frequent showers are expected to turn into longer rains from time to time. An additional 20 to 40 mm of rain is expected to fall, with up to 50 mm falling in a few open places.
Winds ranging from 45 to 50 mph lashed inland across the South West, peaking on Friday evening before gradually easing overnight into Saturday morning.
Teignmouth mayor and councilor Cate Williams told Sky News the pier was already in poor condition and it was unclear whether it could be fixed as it was privately owned.
“It goes out for a while and then effectively some of it just washes away and dissolves, and then there’s a little bit of the structure that’s still standing,” he said.
“The pier was built in the 1860s, it is a little worn, it has seen storms and wars before.
“There’s a family that owns the pier and has done so for generations. But the pier itself is the focal point of our community, right there in front of our boardwalk.”
He added: “The arcade aspect, so the games are used by residents and visitors of all ages, so that’s a really important feature. It stands out.”
“As we know, piers are few and far between in seaside resorts, so having it here is something we appreciate and enjoy.”
The rain will ease in Devon after 9am tomorrow morning, but will cover other parts of Somerset and Dorset by tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, eastern parts of Scotland will see a further 20 to 30mm of rain, with up to 50mm of rain possible in a few spots, following three days of wet weather across the region until 9am on Sunday. However, above 400 to 500 m most of this will fall as snow and rain will be limited to areas below this level.
Northern Ireland will experience heavy rain overnight from 8pm on Saturday until 9am on Sunday. A value of 10 to 20 mm is commonly expected within the scope of a slowly advancing low pressure system. In a few areas, up to 25mm could fall within 12 hours, leading to flooding and difficult driving conditions.
It will also be windy, with easterly winds reaching 30 to 35 mph inland and 45 to 55 mph on some coasts and higher elevations. The wind is expected to ease after midnight.
