A UK seaside town says it’s been forced to cancel its New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
Blackpool Council said it had taken the “tough decision” to cancel the spectacle due to a forecast of high winds.
The local authority confirmed a projection show set to music will still take place. The family party by the sea village on the Tower Festival Headland will go ahead between 3pm and 6pm.
An update on the Visit Blackpool website said: “Due to the forecast of high winds tomorrow evening, we have had to make the tough decision to cancel the fireworks display this year.”
It added that the rest of the New Year’s Eve Family Party event will continue as planned.
The North of England has started to be battered by blustery conditions, which are set to include gusts of up to 60mph on Monday, according to the Met Office.
A weather warning is in force on Monday where strong winds could impact travellers until 6pm in areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
The Met Office warned on New Year’s Eve that strong winds are expected to persist and may reach speeds of up to 70mph in England and Northern Ireland.
An alert for wind is in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday and covers just north of York in England up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.
The new year will be off to a turbulent start, with separate weather warnings for wind and rain on January 1.