High winds force attractions and school to close

Racegoers wearing rain coats during St Leger Day of the Betfred St Leger Festival 2025 at Doncaster racecourse. Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning across most of England

  • Published

Various attractions, events and a school have been forced to close due to high winds across the East of England.

The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning across most of England and all of Wales, which is valid until 18:00 BST on Monday.

Ingoldisthorpe Primary School in Norfolk has been shut to staff and pupils, after a tree fell and took down a power line.

Whipsnade Zoo and various National Trust estates have also made the decision to close, with gusts due to peak at about 55mph. The Met Office said travel disruption and power cuts were possible throughout Monday.

Map of UK showing yellow area covering most of England and all of Wales.
Image caption,

A weather warning for high winds has been issued by the Met Office

The A11 was closed on Monday morning heading southbound at Bridgham, Norfolk, due to a fallen tree on the road.

On Sunday, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service were called to Harleston Road, Fressingfield, after a tree branch went through a car. All four people trapped inside were rescued and passed into the care of the paramedics.

Experts have warned there is a greater risk that branches could drop from trees during high winds, due to an exceptionally dry summer.

Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire posted on Facebook, external that it would be closed for the entire day due to "adverse weather".

Several National Trust run sites, including Felbrigg Hall and the Oxburgh Estate in Norfolk, Lyveden in Northamptonshire and Lavenham Guildhall in Suffolk, have closed to the public.

The gardens at Stowe House in Buckinghamshire have also been shut for safety reasons, which has prompted the closure of the house itself and the cancellation of a scheduled Heritage Open Day.

Burghley House, on the Cambridgeshire-Lincolnshire border, has also been closed, external with all areas affected - including the house, gardens, visitor facilities and parts of the parkland.

Elsewhere, Bressingham Steam and Gardens, near Diss in Norfolk, said it would shut for the whole of Monday, promising to reopen once the wind subsided.

Hedingham Castle in Essex was forced to cancel its Andrea Bocelli outdoor cinema screening, external on Sunday evening, due to the windy weather.

Milton Country Park near Cambridge has been shut due to safety concerns over the predicted high winds and a market in St Ives has been cancelled.

The Met Office said the winds would slowly ease from the west later on Monday afternoon and into the evening.

Get in touch

Do you have a story suggestion for the East of England?