The Met Office warns Storm Darragh poses an imminent risk to life across parts of the South West
A red warning has been lifted but an amber wind warning remains in place until 21:00 GMT, with gusts of 70 to 80mph expected
A yellow wind warning is then in force until 06:00 on Sunday
More than 36,000 homes in Devon and Cornwall are without power
Fallen trees block roads across both counties and rail and air services have been disrupted
Jack Silver
BBC News Online
The waste and recycling centres in Newquay and United Mines are closed because of the weather.Cornwall Council , externalsays residents should plan their visit for another day.
Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online
Image source, GoogleNorth Devon village Lynmouth has been cut off by fallen trees blocking surrounding roads, a hotel manager says.
A fallen tree is blocking the B3234 at Lynmouth Hill and another tree is blocking the A39 at Watersmeet, according to Devon County Council highways teams.
Tristan Brand, manager of the Rising Sun in Lynmouth, said: "Getting in and out of the village is impossible, our staff have made it in, but no-one else can get here."
He said there had been several cancellations from people who had booked to stay at the hotel.
"We are just going to bear with it and see what happens," he said.
"We've been told they will not try to cut down the trees until the wind has gone down."
More homes have lost power across the South West.
At 11:35 GMT there were 10,299 homes cut off in Devon and 4,230 in Cornwall.
National Grid said it was experiencing high volumes of power cut reports through its website and advised people to call 105 as soon as possible to report a loss of power.
"If we already know about the problem, we should be able to tell you when we expect your electricity to be restored," it said.
Elizabeth Rizzini
Lead Weather Presenter
The red “danger to life” warning issued by the Met Office has now expired, but conditions remain dangerous. An amber weather warning is in place across a wider area, again for strong winds.
The amber warning encompasses Northern Ireland, north-west England, south-west Scotland and south-west England and is valid until 21:00 GMT.
Although the strongest winds have now eased a little, there could still be gusts of up to 70-80mph (113-128kmh). There is a risk of structural damage, further trees down, flying debris and large waves within this area.
Structures and trees may already have been weakened too from the strong winds earlier - and some spots have already seen gusts of 80-90mph (128-144kmh) and above.
A tree has fallen on a caravan near Central Park in Plymouth.
Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online
Coastguards have warned people on the coast to avoid wave dodging in the surf.
With waves reaching an "absolutely huge" 21ft (6.5m), Paddy Corcoran of HM Coastguard at Falmouth, urged people against taking risks.
"We often see people running in and out of the surf in conditions like these," he said.
"But in these really heavy conditions we are on the limit for resources, getting a lifeguard out will take time, so please do not take any unecessary risks today."
The red warning issued by the Met Office has now expired.
An amber warning for wind and a yellow warning for rain remain in place for South West.
BBC South West weather presenter Dan Downs said gusts of 89mph (143.2km/h) have been recorded at Liscombe, near Dulverton on Exmoor, in Somerset.
Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online
Image source, Bev TeagueStorm force winds have been churning up the sea to create this sight at Crackington Haven.
The sea at the north Cornwall village has been whipped into a sea of whiteness and it's even covering the road along the coast.
The National Grid says about 8,000 homes are without power in Devon and 2,400 in Cornwall, with multiple incidents being tackled across the two counties.
A spokesman for the National Grid said: "Our teams are working extremely hard to restore power supplies and support customers as heavy wind and rain affects parts of our electricity network."
Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online
Heading out today in Devon? Highways officials are urging people to drive only if necessary.
Here's a rundown of roads closed in the county:
A number of visitor attractions across Devon and Cornwall are closed on Saturday - with some also remaining shut on Sunday.
People are advised to check before heading out to any tourist attractions.
The National Trust said it was following severe weather protocol and closing its estates in Devon and Cornwall.
Lanhydrock near Bodmin said it would be be closed all weekend and hoped to reopen at midday on 9 December.
A spokesman for Trelissick, in Cornwall, said: "Due to the dangerous and extremely high winds forecast, Trelissick will be closed on Saturday 7 December.
"The closure covers the house, garden, estate, café, shop, gallery and car park and we ask you not to travel to the property due to the yellow weather warning.
RHS Rosemoor in Devon is also closed and the RHS Glow event will not be taking place.
The Eden Project in Cornwall is also closed.
Image source, Eden ProjectThe Eden Project's biomes will not be open today
Police in north Devon are warning people to only travel if "absolutely necessary" as officers deal with fallen trees and landslides.
"Whilst it may seem calm out there at this moment in time we still have in place an amber warning for strong winds," says Sgt Robert Brown from South Molton Police Station.
"We are currently dealing with numerous trees down across our road, landslides and general debris which is going to cause disruption for many of those who are wanting to travel.
"I would ask that you follow Met Office advice, please only travel if absolutely necessary."
Image source, Rachel Gerred-HartThis tree is blocking Treliever Road in Penryn
There are several problems on Cornwall's roads, including the A39 between Truro and Falmouth which is closed due to fallen power lines.
A fallen tree is blocking Treliever Road in Penryn, while another tree is partially blocking the the A390 at Truro between the Threemilestone Park and Ride to the new Chiverton junction.
In Polbathic, the A374 is closed both ways due to a fallen tree towards the St Germans turn-off.
In Bugle, near St Austell, Station Road in both directions closed due to fallen power cables on the A391 by Bugle railway station.
There are also reports of a fallen tree on the B3303 towards Nancegollan heading out of Camborne.
A number of Christmas markets across the South West are closed due to the weather.
Plymouth Christmas Market is closed to ensure the safety of visitors, vendors, and staff, but said it was set to reopen on Sunday.
Organisers of Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market have also made the decision to close for safety reasons.
Morning services at the cathedral have also been cancelled and it will be closed all day to sightseers.
They said they were expecting the Christmas with the Cathedral Choir event to go ahead as planned in the evening but will continue to assess the situation.
And the Christmas Market on Lemon Quay in Truro, Cornwall, is also closed.
Two people were rescued after a crash in north Devon in the early hours, firefighters have said.
The single-vehicle crash happened at Landkey, near Barnstaple, at about 02:30 GMT, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said.
Firefighters freed two people from inside the vehicle, while two others managed to get themselves out, the service said.
Jonathan Morris
BBC News, South West
Response teams have been working through the night to clear roads blocked by trees, Devon County Council says.
"It's been a busy morning and night, we are facing very challenging conditions," says Stuart Hughes, the county council's road network and transportation cabinet member.
He repeated warnings to motorists to avoid driving unless necessary.
"It's very dangerous out there," he says.
The latest list of roads closed include:
An annual Christmas event involving hundreds of bikers riding between Plymouth and St Austell to raise money for a children's hospice has been cancelled.
A spokesman for Children's Hospice South West said it was not safe for the event to go ahead.
"We are really sorry to announce that we have cancelled this year's Santas On A Bike Ride to Little Harbour due to the forecast of extreme weather," they said.
"We know how disappointing this decision will be, not to mention the impact to Children's Hospice South West. However, there is a North Devon Ride to Little Bridge House Children's Hospice next Saturday 14 December if you are able to attend that."
Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online
Image source, Elaine KnibbsThe road at Swimbridge is blocked by a tree at Swimbridge
Devon County Council said the A361 Taw Bridge at Barnstaple and A39 Torridge Bridge at Bideford are closed due to the weather warnings.
And we've just heard from Devon County Council that other road closures include:
Hundreds of Christmas events due to take place across the region on Saturday have been cancelled due to the storm.
They include Kingsbridge Celebrates Christmas and the Exeter Cathedral Christmas markets.
The Hugs Foundation in Bodmin said it was "heartbroken" to have to cancel its Christmas Open Day.
A Marie Curie Christmas concert in Helston at the Church Of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints has also been cancelled.
The Saltash Christmas Festival, including Santas On Bikes, the Santa Run, lantern parade and fireworks display, has also been called off.
