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WEATHER

Brittany: 25,000 hit by power cuts after storm

The French region of Brittany came under the cosh from extreme weather once again on Tuesday night as a fierce storm left around 25,000 without power. The whole of the French Atlantic coast has now been placed on alert and cross-Channel ferries have been affected.

Brittany: 25,000 hit by power cuts after storm
Storms have left thousands without power in Brittany. Western France is on alert for flooding. Photo: YouTube/Didier Marie Le Bihan

“Petra” the name given to the latest storm to lash the west coast of France took its toll on Brittany overnight with 25,000 households left without electricity.

The storm appeared to have calmed by the early hours of the morning but the latest reports suggest gale force winds, which have reached up to 150 km/h have once again picked up on Wednesday morning.

The country’s meteorological service Météo France responded by placing the whole of the French Atlantic coast on Orange alert – the second highest warning level – because of the threat of coastal flooding, due to a combination of high tides and giant waves.

Cross Channel ferry company Brittany Ferries has been forced to delay or cancel, many of its services between France and Spain and France and the UK because of the weather. Passengers are advised to check with the company before travelling. For more information CLICK HERE.

The worst hit area of Brittany was Finistère which remains on alert on Wednesday morning.

At its height, at around 11pm on Tuesday, an estimated 40,000 households had their power cut in the storm.

On Wednesday morning there were around 25,000 homes still without power – 13,000 in Finistère, 7,000 in the department of Côte d’Armor and 4,000 in Morbihan. Another 1,000 households in Ille-et-Villaine were not able to boil the kettle on Wednesday morning.

“We are still in the diagnostic phase, in particular on the low voltage lines. We will have a clearer picture of the damage caused by the storm by the end of the morning, said a spokesman for the French electricity providers ERDF.

On Wednesday afternoon it is the turn of the south-eastern France to come in for some rough weather, with the Var region set for heavy rain and winds of up to 100km/h.

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