Devon’s motorists are being urged to drive carefully this weekend as the county braces for high winds and rain from Storm Darragh.

A series of weather warnings have been in put place by the Met Office including a Red Weather Warning for South West England which will affect the North Devon Coastline.

The Red Weather Warning is from 3am to 11am tomorrow morning (Saturday December 7) and gusts could reach 90mph.

The Met Offices advises that the public should avoid travelling in an area where a Red Weather warning is in place where possible.

As a precaution the A361 Taw Bridge at Barnstaple and A39 Torridge Bridge at Bideford will be closed from midnight in advance of the weather warnings.

They will reopen on Sunday December 8 if it is safe to do. Some facilities may remain closed depending on local conditions.

And to ensure the safety of highways teams during the Red Weather Warning they may not be able to respond immediately to reports or incidents.

Additionally all of Devon’s Household Waste Recycling Centres will be closed on Saturday.

The wet and windy weather will also be widespread across Devon over the next couple of days.

The Met Office has published a series of Yellow Warnings and an Amber Wind Warning from 3am Saturday morning to 9pm Saturday evening December 7 across Devon.

Around 15-25 mm of rain could fall across the county over the course of today (Friday) and Saturday with exposed higher ground at the greatest risk of flooding.

Wind and rain may cause disruption to travel, with difficult driving conditions likely.

This could lead to road, rail, air and ferry services being affected and spray and flooding may make difficult driving conditions more difficult possibly resulting in some road closures.

There may also be hazards with fallen trees, flying debris while beach material could be washed onto coastal roads.

The public are advised to take care when walking near cliffs or around coastal areas.

Devon County Council’s highways teams are well prepared and despite the disruption caused by Storm Bert two weeks ago highways teams ensured that the majority of the road network was running smoothly 48 hours after the storm had landed.

Extra Neighbourhood Teams will be on standby ready to respond to any incidents and additional highways gangs and tree surgery crews will be available if needed.

There will be extra resources available at the Network Operations Control Centre to deal with incoming calls.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “

Devon County Council is reminding people of the following advice:

Be alert to fallen trees and branches, particularly on minor roads where they may not have been reported
Consider if your journey is essential and be alert to weather warnings.
Allow additional time for your journey, never drive through floodwater or swollen flowing water, you don’t know how deep it is. Find an alternative route
Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front and leave plenty of room if you’re overtaking.
Drive with care and according to the conditions.
Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions

For more information and travel advice visit our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on Twitter (X) and Facebook.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, our Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said:

We are well prepared, but I would remind drivers to take care and please drive to the conditions and please consider the Met Office’s Advice to avoid travelling where possible in an area with a Red Weather warning.

“We know how high winds and rain impact our roads and there will be a possibility of surface water flooding and debris on the roads and falling branches so please drive according to conditions and be aware that you may come across unexpected hazards.

“We are encouraging Towns, Parishes and residents to secure temporary festive decorations and remove any temporary structures if possible.

“There remains a lot of leaves in the trees and when that is blown down it could lead to blocked drains and gullies and affect road drainage.

“We will have teams on standby once again we will be working closely with Town and Parish wardens to alert us to blocked drains and even undertake minor leaf clearance where possible and safe to do so but we also welcome any support from local residents.”

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management

Devon County Council is reminding people of the following advice:

Be alert to fallen trees and branches, particularly on minor roads where they may not have been reported;
Consider if your journey is essential and be alert to weather warnings.
Allow additional time for your journey, never drive through floodwater or swollen flowing water, you don’t know how deep it is. Find an alternative route;
Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front and leave plenty of room if you’re overtaking.
Drive with care and according to the conditions.
Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions
Secure temporary festive decorations and remove any temporary structures if possible.

For more information and travel advice visit our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on Twitter (X) and Facebook.