Leeds Festival has announced it will be closing three stages on Saturday and Sunday after Storm Lilian has left artists unable to perform.
Gale-force winds caused by the storm have battered the festival site throughout the day, forcing stages to close and organsiers to urge attendees to stay in their tents.
Now a statement from festival organisers has confirmed the affected stages will stay closed all weekend.
‘Unfortunately the health and safety team have now confirmed we will not be able use the BBC Radio 1 tent & stage tomorrow or Sunday,’ they wrote on Twitter.
‘We are devastated for you and of course the artists that were eager to play. That is the same for the Aux stage too. Mother nature has played her part.
‘On the positive side, we are able to be reasonably sure the Chevron will be fit to play tomorrow and will be opened by The Useless Hotline at midday.’
Indie group Corella said earlier today they were ‘absolutely gutted’ to see their set cancelled over weather disruptions.
Posting on social media, lead singer Joel Smith said: ‘The weather has not been on our side and the safety of our fans come first.
‘We are absolutely gutted, to play the main stage at Leeds was a dream, but we will be back.’
Storm Liliah has caused chaos across the country today, including on the railways and at Heathrow, while dozens of flood alerts are in place.
Bramham Park, where the Leeds Festival is taking place, has seen winds in the high 40s, according to the Met Office.
‘This is actual hell,’ wrote one festival-goer on X earlier today. ‘Everyone’s tents are broken – it’s not safe.’
Met Office urges people to ‘avoid trees’ to stay safe from storm
The Met Office has urged people to ‘avoid trees’ and other falling debris as yellow weather warnings are in place across the country due to Storm Lilian.
The forecaster advised people to stay safe and avoid sheltering near buildings or trees due to the risk of falling debris and branches.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: ‘Storm Lilian will bring some potentially damaging gusts during Friday morning, with gusts widely in the 50-60mph range, with the possibility of some gusts in excess of 75mph in a few places.
‘There’s associated rainfall with Lilian that has also resulted in a Met Office warning for parts of Scotland. Within the warning area, another 50mm of rain is possible over high ground, with 20-30mm falling quite widely.
‘Much of this is falling on saturated ground so increases the chance of some surface water flooding.’
Indie band say they are ‘absolutely gutted’ Leeds Fest slot was cancelled
Indie group Corella said they were ‘absolutely gutted’ their dream of playing the main stage at Leeds Festival was cancelled due to bad weather.
In a post on Twitter, lead singer Joel Smith said: ‘The weather has not been on our side and the safety of our fans come first.
‘We are absolutely gutted, to play the main stage at Leeds was a dream, but we will be back.’
Three stages at Leeds Festival to remain closed all weekend
Leeds Festival organisers have announced that three stages will be closed all weekend due to gale-force winds caused by Storm Lilian.
In a statement on X, the organisers said: ‘Unfortunately the health and safety team have now confirmed we will not be able use the BBC Radio 1 tent & stage tomorrow or Sunday.
‘We are devastated for you and of course the artists that were eager to play. That is the same for the Aux stage too. Mother nature has played her part.
‘On the positive side, we are able to be reasonably sure the Chevron will be fit to play tomorrow and will be opened by The Useless Hotline at midday.’
Lorry almost blown off the side of Humber Bridge
A lorry driving across the Humber Bridge earlier today was almost blown off the side after powerful winds saw the vehicle teeter dangerously close to the edge of the suspension bridge.
Cars behind the lorry can be seen slowing down as the vehicle comes swerves back and forth before eventually coming to a halt.
Watch the clip below:
Storm Lilian is twelfth to hit UK this season
Storm Lilian is the 12th named storm of the season, and the first time the letter L has been used for the name.
Storm season, which runs from the start of September to the end of the following August, has only reached K twice since the Met Office began naming storms in 2015.
There were only two storms during last year’s season, which ran from September 2022 to August 2023, which made it only as far as the letter B, with Storm Betty in August.
By contrast, this year’s season has recorded Storm Agnes in September 2023; Babet in October; Ciaran and Debi in November; Elin, Fergus and Gerrit in December; Henk, Isha and Jocelyn in January 2024; Kathleen in April; and now Lilian in August.
Not all of the alphabet is used when naming storms.
The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are omitted, in line with convention established by the US National Hurricane Centre.
It means the storm names still available for the current season, which ends next week, are Minnie, Nicholas, Olga, Piet, Regina, Stuart, Tamiko, Vincent and Walid.
73,000 people in left Yorkshire without power due to storm damage
Over 73,000 people in the North East and Yorkshire region have been left without power due to damage caused by Storm Lilian.
Northern Powergrid, who are responsible for restoring power to the region,said the majority of customers have been reconnected, but 11,741 remain disconnected from the grid.
Louise Lowes, director of customer service at Northern Powergrid, said: ‘We thank our customers for their patience. We are doing all we can to provide updates about when we will be able to get their power safely back on.’
The company encouraged anyone with neighbours or relatives who may be in a vulnerable position to call them so they can provide additional support.
Creamfields campers forced to leave festival early due to ‘impossible’ weather
Leeds Fest isn’t the only festival to be affected by the extreme weather this weekend- Creamfields attendees are battling Storm Lilian too.
An attendee at the dance music festival in Cheshire said it was ‘impossible’ to sleep last night because strong gusts shook his tent and the tents of ‘loads of people’ had been damaged.
Jason Kamara, 23, told reporters: ‘We were told it’d be windy but we had no idea it would be that bad.
‘I think it felt worse from inside the tents but it was impossible to sleep because of the rattling sounds.
‘I got out of bed at 6am to have a look at the damage and found loads of people trying to fix their damaged tents and pegs that had come undone.
‘But to be honest it’s a distant memory now, the sun is out and everyone is in great spirits.
‘Everyone has embraced the British weather and made the most of a bad situation which is what makes Creamfields special.’
Latest Met Office forecast
The national weather service has released its forecast for the rest of today and early tomorrow:
Blustery showers and sunny spells follow Storm Lilian
Storm Lilian has brought strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the UK, before clearing north-eastwards. Blustery showers and sunny spells follow the storm. Southern England and Wales will remain largely dry until the evening. Winds will slowly ease.
Tonight, blustery showers will continue in the north, with some being heavy in the northwest. Conditions will be drier across the south, before an area of rain pushes into southern parts during the early hours.
Heavy rain will move across the south through the morning tomorrow, clearing the southeast by the afternoon. Sunshine and heavy showers will follow, with winds increasing in the north. It will feel cooler.
On Sunday there will be showers in the north, but drier further south. On Monday there will be rain again for the northwest, but drier further south. Tuesday will see rain in the north, but drier further south.
Main Stage opens at Leeds Festival – without major singer
‘We’re pleased to say the arena is now open with the first live act, Bru-C, on the main stage at 3.10pm,’ organisers for the music festival confirmed on X.
However, as some users pointed out, the main stage opened without Reneé Rapp.
The singer clarified in an Instagram story that the weather was ‘too dangerous for our crew or myself to set up the stage all morning’.
‘I’m so sad to miss you but your safety and my team’s safety is of the utmost importance and I can’t risk that.’
Leeds Festival has also axed sets from Skrillex, Beabadoobee and Nia Archives today.
Creamfields issues update as storm winds batter festivals
Another festival located in the Met Office yellow wind warning area is Creamfields in Cheshire.
Revelers woke up to less than ideal conditions this morning as the winds hit with strength in the north, with footage showing tents rattling in the wind as they struggled to stay pitched.
Now the organisers have issued a fresh statement to reassure festivalgoers about the conditions.
It said: ‘Thanks for your patience as we work hard on our safety contingencies to ensure a safe and secure opening today.
‘The high winds we experienced early this morning are already easing and are expected to pass by mid-morning and we are fully prepared for the day ahead.’
Now trains between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes are disrupted
National Rail reports that a broken-down train is causing headaches for anyone travelling between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes.
‘Trains have to run at reduced speed,’ the operator said. ‘As a result, trains running between these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 10 minutes.’
Leeds Festival closes third stage
Leeds Festival has just now announced that a third stage won’t be open today.
Organisers confirmed earlier that the BBC Radio 1 & Aux stage will remain closed though the rest of the arena is set to open shortly.
That was meant to include the Chevron stage, where Jaguar was booked for, though the festival has confirmed this stage won’t be open today either.
‘Thank you all for your patience today. Unfortunately in light of updated site reports and despite our best efforts, the Chevron stage will not be able to open as planned today in Leeds,’ organisers said on X.
‘It will open as scheduled for the rest of the weekend. Thank you for your understanding, we will update you again as soon as possible.’
Tens of thousands now without power amid Storm Lilian
More than 3,2000 households are without power due to Storm Lilian, according to Northern Powergrid.
‘Our teams are working hard to restore power by the time shown, when it is safe to do so,’ the electrical distributor says on its map of outages.
‘We aim to restore power by the time shown, however, will have more certainty once our teams have assessed the extent of the damage.’
Trampoline hurled over garden fences by Storm Lilian
During intense storms, the Met Office recommends that people tie anything down they have outside – and that includes trampolines.
One was flung over the gardens of people’s homes in Bradford, Yorkshire, earlier today.
Leeds Festival issue major update after wind wreaks havoc
‘It’s been a tough morning but we are aiming to open the arena between 1.45pm and 2pm, with the first live act, Reneé Rapp, on the main stage at 3.10pm as per the schedule Jaguar will perform on the Chevron stage at 2.25pm.’
In other words, this is some good news from Leeds Fest, which was upended this morning by Lilian.
‘The BBC Radio 1 & Aux stage will remain closed for today, and the BBC Introducing Stage will continue as normal from around 3pm. More info on the Festival Republic stage to follow. Thank you for your patience.’
Met Office reveals where the strongest winds have been so far
‘Practically all of us are gripping onto our tents’
People out camping at Leeds Fest aren’t having the best of times, to say the least.
Dylan Maggs, 26, told the PA news agency that he saw that ‘many people unpoled and flattened their tents around 7am’ as he and his pals waited out the worst of the weather.
‘We’re currently sitting on our tents so they don’t fly away,’ he said, adding: ‘Practically all of us are gripping onto our tents and there’s six of us.’
At one point, the perimeter fence came down when his group were nearby.
‘It looks worse than it was for sure – no-one was inside of the tents when it came down. A fence also took out a van’s window, Dylan added.
‘We’re just laughing through it, not much else we can do really, it’s annoying but it is what it is. We’ve seen a lot of people ditch tents and leave.’
Leeds Festival issues travel update
For anyone hoping to get to Leeds Festival by bus, organisers have issued a new update on X.
‘Buses will resume the service from NOW. However, there will still be a wait at the festival site for a minimum of 90 minutes before we are able to begin to let people into the arena,’ the post said.
‘So, please choose whether you would prefer to wait and enjoy Leeds City Centre before jumping on a bus or wait at the site to be ready to get in as soon as you are able.’
Bolton food festival wrecked by 60mph wind postponed
A food festival featuring Ainsley Harriott and James Martin in Bolton has been cancelled after traders woke up to find their stands destroyed.
The Bolton Food and Drink Festival was due to start today and run until Monday over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
But now its opening has been postponed so won’t be on at all today, traders said.
The Tiny Takeaway, which sells spices, said on X: ‘Today has been cancelled unfortunately due to the bad weather Bolton Food and Drink Festival. See you tomorrow, curry fans.’
Bolton has been battered by winds of up to 60mph.
‘Scenes of devastation’ as Bolton festival trashed by Lilian
At least 20 stalls at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival, which is expected to see some half a million attend, have been destroyed by powerful winds.
Traders found their stalls on Newport Street flipped over and stock scattered this morning, with organisers delaying the start of the four-day event to 2pm.
Council officials have closed the town hall, where several festival events are set to be held.
Leeds Festival performer ‘gutted’ he can’t perform
‘I’m really gutted about this, I’m so so sorry to anyone that wanted to catch our set today in Leeds but multiple stages are no longer standing and we’ve been told our slot is cancelled 🙁
‘Leeds we’ll make it up to you as soon as possible, so so much love to you all.’
This is from Alfie Templeman, who just posted on X his reaction to Leeds Festival saying ‘we definitely lost the BBC Radio 1 stage’ which he was due to perform on.
Manchester cleans up as trams, buses, trains and roads all disrupted
Clean-up crews have been dispatched to remove the raft of torn-down trees and rogue branches blown across Manchester.
The Bee Network says the strong winds have caused ‘severe disruption’ to almost every form of transport. From damage to overheard electricity between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western to some bus routes not being able to drive over 20mph.
Yet another yellow weather warning issued that covers half of London
A new yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office.
The alert, active tomorrow from 6am to 1pm, is for heavy rain that will likely disrupt travel, lead to flooring and potentially power outages.
Up to 70mm of rain will bucket it down, forecasters say. The alert covers half of London, Essex and the coastal areas of the South East.
The warning says: ‘Spells of rain, heavy at times, developing early Saturday will persist for several hours before clearing away eastwards during the late morning or early afternoon. 15 to 30mm of rain is likely to fall widely and as much as 50 to 70mm rain could accumulate in a few places.’
Are you at Leeds Festival?
If you were hoping to be blown away by the bands tonight rather than the wind, get in touch by emailing josh.milton@metro.co.uk or the news team at webnews@metro.co.uk.
In pictures: It’s a bad day to have long hair in London
‘An end in sight to the high winds’ thrashing Leeds festival
Leeds Festival has issued another update – there’s good news and bad news.
‘We can see an end in sight to the high winds. We definitely won’t be opening the arena at 11am, but we are targeting as soon as possible after that and we will update you further,’ organisers said.
‘However, we have definitely lost the BBC Radio 1 stage today, and there will be no performances on it.
‘We have also lost the Aux stage today, and there will be no performances on it. We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend. Please await further information.’
Leeds festival-goers urged to stay in their tents and cars
‘Everybody can see and feel that we’re suffering from the winds currently. We’re urging you to stay in your tents if you are onsite and feel safe to do so. If you are in your car, please remain there.’
This is the warning that Leeds Festival just issued to campers.
‘If you are not yet at the festival site, please delay your arrival. We’re expecting it to ease up at 10 am and we will update you in 30 minutes,’ festival organisers added in a statement shared just now on X.
‘Your safety is our number one priority. Remember to look out for each other.’
Watch: Leeds festival-goers hoping it’ll all be worth it as they’re battered by wind
Hundreds of homes are without power
More than 3,4000 customers have been affected by a blackout as Storm Lilian batters Britain.
Just over two dozen ‘unplanned power cuts’ have been reported to the UK Power Networks. Reasons include faults with overheard electricity lines or in the network.
Most should have electricity later this morning or in the early afternoon, though some are ‘to be confirmed’.
The majority of power outages are in England, according to monitoring service Power Outage.
‘Multiple trees’ on Manchester Metrolink tracks
Commuters in Manchester aren’t having the best of mornings.
The Metrolink, the city’s tram network, is facing severe disruption due to ‘multiple’ downed trees and severe weather.
The Bee Network, which runs Manchester’s public transport, said only a few lines are running and most have been suspended.
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