Met Office issues weather warning for West Midlands as Storms Dudley and Eunice blow in

The Met Office has put out two yellow warnings for wind across the whole of the West Midlands - including Shropshire, the Black Country and Staffordshire - and areas of Wales including Powys, as Storms Dudley and Eunice approach. The first warning runs from 3pm on Wednesday until 6am on Thursday, while the other goes from midnight to 9pm on Friday.

Rail travellers are set to be hit by longer journey times and possible cancellations as winds of up to 70mph (113km/hr) are predicted when Storm Dudley hits on Wednesday, while some roads and bridges may close for safety.

There are also flood alerts in place in Shropshire for the Tern and Perry catchments and Severn Vyrnwy confluence.

The Met Office said it expects flooding to affect low lying land and roads adjacent to the river from Wolverley to Newport, while other locations that may be affected include Market Drayton, Wem and Rodington.

For the Severn Vyrnwy confluence, it said it expected to see flooding affecting low lying land and roads adjacent to the river from the Welsh border at Llawnt to Shrawardine near Shrewsbury, with other locations that may be affected include Llanymynech, Maesbrook and Melverley.

Travellers along the A454 between Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth are warned to expect fallen trees, as well as flooding at Trescott Ford, while homeowners could face damage from tiles being blown from roofs and potential power cuts.

Storm Dudley is expected between 9pm on Wednesday and 6am on Thursday, while Storm Eunice is expected to blow its way across the country between 12am and 9pm on Friday, with another yellow weather warning for wind in place during those hours.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “An active jet stream is driving low-pressure systems across the country, both of which are likely to cause some disruption and National Severe Weather Warnings have been issued.”

Although there have been flood alerts for the River Severn in Shropshire this week, the Environment Agency said it was not considering putting barriers up in Shrewsbury or Ironbridge. However it said it would be keeping an eye on the situation.

Electricity supply firms have issued warnings following the widespread outages in northern England and Scotland which followed storms earlier this year.

Motorists have also been warned to consider whether journeys later this week are absolutely necessary.

National Highways head of road safety Jeremy Phillips said: "We're encouraging drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys and consider if their journey is necessary and can be delayed until conditions improve.

"If you do intend to travel, then plan your journey and take extra care, allowing more time for your journey."

Mr Phillips added: "In high winds, there's a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes so we'd advise drivers of these vehicles to slow down.

"Drivers of other vehicles should be aware of sudden gusts of wind which can affect handling and braking, and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, and motorbikes plenty of space. In the event of persistent high winds we may need to close bridges to traffic for a period, so please be alert for warnings of closures and follow signed diversion routes."

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: "The strength of the wind brought about by Storm Dudley will make driving conditions extremely difficult for drivers in the north of the UK, so we urge people to delay their journeys until the storm passes if at all possible.

"Anyone who does set out should stick to major roads if they can, reduce their speed while driving and have a firm grip of the steering wheel at all times but especially when overtaking high-sided vehicles.

"We also recommend parking away from trees as the storm may well cause some to fall."