Thousands in North West without power and cars wrecked in Storm Boelo

Storm leaves homes without power and cars wrecked Image source, Lisa Roberts Image caption, A tree was uprooted and smashed into Lisa Roberts' car in Lancashire By Stewart Whittingham North West Published 25 October 2026, 09:36 GMT Updated 2 hours ago Storm Boelo has uprooted trees which have smashed into cars and left tens of thousands of people without power as it blows across the North West. SP Electricity North West said nearly 4,000 homes had been hit by power cuts.

More than 500 homes were affected in Blackpool and 200 in Wigan alone. A family day race meeting at Merseyside's Aintree racecourse has been cancelled, along with Visit Liverpool's River of Light event. Grandmother Lisa Roberts said she had been left in tears after a tree fell on her car in Heysham, Lancashire. Roberts told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We had just sat down to watch Strictly - there was a lot of noise outside but you expect that when it's windy.

"But suddenly there was an almighty noise and my husband went out and said 'it's a tree - it's landed on the car'. "It smashed through the sunroof and the windscreen. "It's not what we expected on a Saturday night [but] my five-year-old grandson did predict it. "He said earlier 'look at that tree nana - it's going to fall over'." She said nobody was injured. Image source, Lisa Roberts Image caption, Lisa Roberts' grandson predicted the tree outside her home was going to be uprooted Electricity North West said 2,500 homes suffered power cuts in Lancashire as well as 900 in Greater Manchester and 500 in Merseyside.

Highs winds also uprooted trees across Manchester including one in Alexandra Park, Moss. An uprooted tree blocked also blocked Mauldeth Road in Burnage. Image caption, A tree was uprooted by the storm in Mauldeth Road in Burnage, Manchester Image caption, A tree torn from its roots in Alexandra Park, Manchester Aintree racecourse said its Halloween Fun Day had been "abandoned due to high winds" after it reported gusts of up to 44mph. In a statement, it said: "While we are disappointed, the safety of our participants, visitors and teams is our number one priority."

Bates pumpkin farm in Warrington, Cheshire, also announced it had shut for the day as the "50mph gusts are not safe to be on the farm". Visit Liverpool announced its River of Light event, featuring illuminated artworks, had been cancelled "in the interests of safety". Image source, EPA Image caption, A woman struggles to hold onto her umbrella during high winds in Liverpool Gusts of more than 70mph have been recorded in many areas and large waves have battered the coast.

The Met Office said Storm Boelo could bring a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves and people should stay indoors as much as possible. Trams have been cancelled in Blackpool due to heavy rain and high winds, while Avanti West Coast has advised people not to travel north of Preston. TransPennine Express said a tree fell on the line between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, causing major delays. Get in touch Tell us which stories we should cover in the North West Contact form Contact form Read more stories from Cheshire , Lancashire , Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X , external .

Related topics Heysham Preston Severe weather More on this story Storm Boelo forces further Merseyside closures Published 23 hours ago Storm Austen: Trees uprooted, zoo closed and events cancelled Published 1 day ago