Storm Babet: Live updates as South Shields Metro suspensions hit and lighthouse damaged
Persistent heavy rain and strong winds are forecast across the day, with a yellow Met Office weather warning in place across the region.
It’s likely that coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves with some bus and train services affected.
South Shields weather - Storm Babet
Key Events
- South Shields lighthouse damaged on Friday as big waves hit
- Metro and ferry services suspended
- How long will Storm Babet last?
Nexus has now confirmed the Shields Ferry will be out of action until Sunday.
Services on the public transport service were already cancelled until Saturday, but the operational hours have now been put back a further 24 hours. The service suspension is a safety precaution, Nexus said.
A replacement bus is running today, and will continue on Saturday via the Tyne Tunnel from 7am until 11pm.
Shields Ferry tickets are being accepted on Metro, and customers can also travel between North Shields and South Shields on Stagecoach services 10 and 11.
South Shields Football Club’s departing chairman Geoff Thompson has said the pitch at the 1st Cloud Arena is expected to be in playable condition tomorrow afternoon.
Further down the coast, the University of Sunderland has closed its Wearside St Peters Campus due to ‘adverse weather conditions.’ A spokesperson for the University of Sunderland said: “Due to the ongoing adverse weather conditions, the University’s St Peter’s Campus has been closed to staff and students. There will be no access to the campus today or over the weekend.
“The University’s City Campus remains open as normal.
“This means that unfortunately we are having to reschedule the Open Day at St Peter’s that was planned for tomorrow, Saturday 21 October and we are in the process of contacting everyone booked to attend.
“The Open Day at our City Campus is going ahead as planned.”
The Met Office is predicting the bad weather will clear this weekend, but we still have a lot of Storm Babet to get through yet.
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