Leeds Festival organisers shut two stages on Friday as Storm Lilian hit the UK.
Performances were axed on the BBC Radio 1 and Aux stages with ticket-holders yet to arrive on the second day of the festival being told to stay away while the wind rages.
In an update shared to X, formerly Twitter, Reading and Leeds festival organisers said: “We can see an end in sight to the high winds. We definitely won’t be opening the arena at 11am, but we are targeting as soon as possible after that and we will update you further.
“However, we have definitely lost the BBC Radio 1 stage today, and there will be no performances on it. We have also lost the Aux stage today, and there will be no performances on it. We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend. Please await further information.”
Earlier organisers urged ticket-holders to “stay in your tents” and “delay your arrival” if heading to the festival on its second day.
“If you are in your car, please remain there. If you are not yet at the festival site, please delay your arrival. We’re expecting it to ease up at 10am and we will update you in 30 minutes. Your safety is our number one priority. Remember to look out for each other.
“We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend. Please await further information.”
Winds of up to 80mph were hitting parts of the UK of the country, causing disruption on railways and at airports, as the storm sweeps over the country.
Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “The strongest winds are likely to start forming through the early hours initially across parts of north Wales into the Liverpool, Blackpool area, and then crossing over the Pennines and into the east and north-east England - Yorkshire, up to Northumberland - before then clearing out into the North Sea.
“It’s really quite quick.”
Warning campers, Mr Dewhurst added: “The wind will pick up in that area through the night, particularly strongest towards dawn and then first thing in the morning, before then easing through the morning.
“There could be potentially some impacts from those strong winds, of 50-60mph in the area, so it’s worth making sure your tents are secured.”
British Airways has cancelled 14 flights scheduled to take off from Heathrow on Friday and delayed others, according to the airline’s website.
The cancellations include international flights to Italy, Switzerland and the US as well as domestic journeys to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: “Due to restrictions imposed by air traffic control as a result of adverse weather across the UK, we’ve made some minor adjustments to our schedule.
“We’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and to help get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.”
Two flights from Leeds Bradford Airport were cancelled on Friday while three morning arrivals were diverted to Liverpool, according to the airport’s website.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain spanning much of South East England from 6am to 1pm on Saturday.
The forecaster warned people in the affected area, which stretches from the Isle of Wight up to Ipswich in Suffolk and includes London, should expect “spells of rain, heavy at times, likely to cause some travel disruption and perhaps flooding in a few places”.
A separate wind warning was also in place across northern England and north Wales until 11am on Friday, with the storm widely expected to bring gusts of 50-60mph in the region.
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