Sunderland City Council urges people to stay indoors if possible during Storm Babet

People are being advised to stay away from the coast, riverbanks and other watercourses and only go out if they need to as Storm Babet batters Sunderland.

A Met Office yellow warning for heavy rain is in place from midnight tonight until 6am on Saturday, with a yellow warning for strong winds in place from 12noon on Friday until 12noon on Saturday. The Met Office say this will bring persistent and heavy rainfall, with gusts of 40-60mph across the region in addition to the wind warning for the North East coast. With rain feeding into river catchments, the Environment Agency is also warning of potential flooding. Sunderland City Council says it has put arrangements in place to respond to any potential issues arising from the weather conditions over the next few days. It has also taken the decision to cancel the Festival of Light in Mowbray Park, tomorrow (Friday, October 20) and both days over the weekend. This is in view of the weather forecast and the likely impact of the rain and strong winds on ground conditions on site. See Tickets is contacting all customers with tickets for tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, offering them the choice of a refund or a change of date.

All other dates for the Festival of Light, which runs through until Saturday 11 November and is open every day over half term, are still available to book. Visit www.mysunderland.co.uk/fol for more information and to book tickets.  People are also being urged to take extra care if they do have to go out and to allow more time for their journeys. It is also advisable to secure and make safe any loose items in your garden, yard or outside your home, including garden furniture and equipment and trampolines.

Anyone who needs to contact the council about a storm related issue can do so by contacting the council on 0191 520 5550. Outside of normal working hours calls will only be taken on urgent issues.