The UK is braced for the impact of Storm Eunice today, with a rare red weather alert issued by the Met Office.
Several parts of the UK, including London, are now under a red warning – the highest possible level.
Extremely strong winds and widespread disruption are expected for most of Friday, with TfGM urging people to avoid travel.
In Greater Manchester, an amber weather warning is in place, which means there is ‘a good chance that flying debris could result in a danger to life’.
It also means that damage to buildings is likely, power lines may be brought down, and roads, bridges and railway lines are likely to close.
ADVERTISEMENT
London is facing a red weather warning today as Storm Eunice arrives. Credit: Unsplash
The amber alert is in place until 9pm.
There’s a 90% chance of heavy rain between 11am and 3pm and wind gusts of up to 57mph are forecast this afternoon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Storm Eunice is expected to be much stronger than Storm Dudley, which hit the nation earlier this week.
A statement from TfGM says: “Storm Eunice is likely to cause significant disruption due to extremely strong winds today across the region between 5am – 9pm.
Storm Eunice forecast for Friday. Credit: Met Office
“Please consider whether your journey is essential today and take care if you are out and about.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Meanwhile CrossCountry Trains has said: “Do Not Travel today. We are running a severely reduced and amended service, please do not travel today.”
Met Office forecaster Annie Shuttleworth said: “The whole of the country will be affected by the extremely strong and damaging winds, which will cause significant disruption.
“People will see significant delays to travel and power cuts, so you should avoid travelling if you can and stay at home when winds reach the highest speeds.
“In areas covered by the red warning, especially coastal regions, there is likely to be overtopping of the sea, flooding to roads and homes, trees being overturned, tiles coming off buildings and power lines being toppled over.”
Featured image: Unsplash
UK News
You can win a free hotel stay for you and a friend as part of Random Acts of Kindness Day
Danny Jones
Fancy doing a loved one a solid and scoring them such much-needed rest and relaxation this month courtesy of a free hotel stay? You’re a kind soul, of course you do.
To help celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day this year, Travelodge are giving away a handful of free hotel stays at locations up and down the UK as a way of letting friends, colleagues and just all-around good eggs know that they’re top bananas.
Now that’s the kind of unconditional positivity we can get behind.
So, if you know someone who could really benefit from a fresh hotel bed, a ridiculously long shower and a lovely British mini-break this year, keep reading.
If you’re wondering how it all works, it’s quite simple – to enter the prize draw and nominate a bestie or beloved, you simply have to tag them in the Instagram reel above.
Alternatively, you can @ them in the comments on Travelodge’s Facebook or nominate them HERE, and make sure you give lots of lovely reasons as to why they deserve it, of course.
But wait for it, here’s the best bit: if they happen to be selected YOU get to win a free hotel stay too. Happy days times two!
Good friends = good prizes on Random Acts of Kindness Day 2025.
And that really is about as complicated as it gets; the lucky winners must book their stay at a Travelodge hotel within a month of winning the prize and enjoy the room within the next 12 months but, other that that, it’s all pretty straightforward and lovely.
If you love it around so much you have no interest in leaving, there of course multiple Greater Manchester locations (Credit: Travelodge)
One last thing, you must enter by before 11.59pm tonight (Monday, 17 Feb) in order to be eligible and all valid entries will then be selected via a random draw by 27 February 2024.
Featured Images — Travelodge/Mikhail Nilov (via Pexels)
UK News
New Lancashire Cricket investors aiming to make Manchester Originals as big as United and City
Danny Jones
Lancashire County Cricket’s new investors and Manchester Originals’ majority owners have stated their desire to make the local Hundred team as big as Man United and City.
The Originals were courted by the RPSG (Rising Pune Supergiant) Group this month, with the Goenka family agreeing to buy up a 70% share of the club after LCCC sold part of their stake in the franchise.
Famously in charge of the Lucknow Super Giants over in the Indian Premier League and their Durban equivalents in South Africa, the possibility of not just a shiny new kit but the Originals being renamed the ‘Manchester Super Giants’ isn’t out of the question, though it would be much further down the line.
Although the conglomerate was initially interested in one of The Hundred’s Southern teams, London Spirit – and they were quizzed on this in a press conference on Friday, 14 February – Vice Chairman Shaswat Goenka’s answer was simple: “Lords is Lords but Manchester is Manchester.”
Expressing a huge amount of respect and admiration for the city’s competitive history, even dubbing it a “sporting powerhouse”, Goenka began by insisting that the opportunity presented is one to build a perfect marriage of culture and a love for cricket.
Going on to identify sport as “one of the single biggest things that unites people across the world, regardless of race, colour” and so forth, he believes that while this is categorically not football, this new chapter could rival its prominence here in the UK and especially Manchester.
From there, he went so far as to argue that the stopping power is there and that RPSG “want the Manchester franchise in the Hundred to become the third biggest sports team in Manchester and challenge those two sports teams [Man City and Man United] in Manchester.”
Quite the statement indeed – but one that was echoed by his two new key collaborators in Lancashire’s CEO, Dan Gidney, and Manchester Originals Chair, James Sheridan.
Gidney in particular was visibly energised by the prospect, reflecting on the moment he realised a great potential after seeing the fanaticism shown by the crowd during India vs Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Even with new leadership, Lancashire Cricket will remain 30% owners of the Manchester Originals. (Credit: The Manc Group/Matt Eachus)
Waxing lyrical about seeing “just how much supporters celebrate a single game of cricket”, he said the goal is to “inject some of that passion into Manchester and LCC“.
Doubling down on Goenka’s statement, he continued: “We’re a bit conservative in the UK, we need to embrace the power of this sport; the fandom is off the scale – [it could be] stronger than the Premier League, in my opinion.”
All three executive speakers were also keen to reiterate that is by no means a complete takeover but rather a “joint venture” aiming to achieve a “true partnership” which could pose even more exciting cross-pollination in the future.
The consensus seems to be that further collaboration with the Super Giants is pretty inevitable and not just in regards to the men’s game but that this merging of brands presents a huge opportunity for young players and the women’s team too, the idea of players spending more time over in India and even some games perhaps being held still sounding very plausible.
Manchester Originals’ Chair, James Sheridan, did caveat the discussion by noting that “contracting isn’t straightforward in franchise cricket” but that conversations have at least started to take place” and, like Goenka, they don’t see this as a gamble but what is bound to be a “formidable partnership.”
He also reiterated the belief that Manchester is “probably the UK’s No 1 sporting city, adding “There you go, I said it”, and that the vision is to build the best team, the biggest fan base and the best culture – with this particular region being the perfect staging ground to do so.
The Manchester Originals Chair and LCCC Chief Exec welcome the incoming co-owners. (Credit: Supplied)
Two players were present for the press conference as well, with Originals Women’s star Beth Mooney saying she had “admired The Hundred for afar” since it started and quickly knew she “100% wanted to be a part of it”, aiming to “help create a legacy with the Originals as the tournament.”
Men’s player Phil Salt welcomed the new ownership as the start of an “extremely exciting new era” that should help them “bring the best product to the UK”, reiterating that “being part of the right organisation is key.”
Although the investment is yet to be fully ratified by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and Lancashire made no bones about the arrears they still have on the books, Gidney was keen to label a lot of as ‘good debt’ and an investment in facilities and infrastructure, something which RPSG will only further aid.
One of the biggest outlays even prior to the new co-owners is the ongoing Farrington project but since the wider county region may have struggled to cheer on a Manchester team, the Originals and Lancashire, more importantly, will no doubt benefit from its completion.
The new sister stadium will be based over in Preston, offering a second home for what is crucially a Lancashire club. (Credit: Supplied)
Daisy Jackson -
18th February 2022 
