Addenbrooke’s Hospital has said its drive-through blood testing service at Cambridge’s Newmarket Road park and ride site will be closed on Friday.

With a forecast of extremely high winds the service, which is based in marquees, will be closed in the interests of public safety.

Image source, Cambridge University Hospitals

Outpatients’ operations manager, Andi Thornton, said: "We would like to apologise in advance for the suspension of the service, but know the public will understand that it is in the interests of everyone’s safety.

"We anticipate the weather will be better by Monday and look forward to welcoming patients then."

The service was set up in August 2020 in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council to reduce the number of patients visiting Addenbrooke’s during the pandemic.

UK Power Networks, external has said its teams are ready to respond to any power cuts caused by Storm Eunice moving across the region on Friday.

The company, which owns and maintains electricity cables and lines across the East of England, said predicted winds of up to 80mph could cause power cuts when trees, branches and other debris are blown onto overhead power lines.

Extra contractors and staff will do a mixture of shifts during Friday and over the weekend operating 24/7, the company said.

This includes additional call takers and scouts looking for any damage out on the network.

Head of customer services and innovation, Ian Cameron, said: "We understand how difficult it is to be without electricity especially during cold weather, and will be working to restore supplies as quickly as is safely possible.

"If you see any damaged power lines our advice is to stay away, keep everyone clear and call us on 105."

However, they reminded customers that engineers could only work at height when wind conditions allowed it.

Suffolk Police, external have asked the public not to contact them unless it is urgent as they are expecting a high number of calls into its control room today due to the high winds.

The force said if the matter is not urgent, people should call back at a later time or use the online reporting form, external.

Also - non-urgent/non-life threatening storm weather incidents, such as fallen trees and main routes blocked, should be reported to Suffolk Highways for local roads or National Highways for main trunk A roads.

Image source, Getty Images

West Suffolk Council, external has announced it will be closing all gated parks and cemeteries it manages until at least Saturday morning.

This includes parks and open spaces such as Abbey Gardens and Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds, and West Stow Country Park to the north of the town.

Cemeteries include those at Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.

Image source, Geograph/N Chadwick

Earlier we mentioned that one primary school in Suffolk was planning on staying open until 13:00 on the last day of term.

Holbrook Primary has now made the decision not to open at all.

School closure information is available on the Suffolk County Council website, external.

Breckland Council in west Norfolk has activated its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol to provide emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.

The scheme usually operates when temperatures drop to below freezing.

Other local authorities are also instigating the policy as Storm Eunice batters the country.

Rough sleepers are being urged to contact their nearest council for support and shelter.

Image source, Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia has announced trains will not run on two of its routes due to the risk of falling trees.

Network Rail is shutting the Ipswich to Lowestoft line in Suffolk, and the line between Colchester/Marks Tey in Essex and Sudbury in Suffolk.

In a statement the company said: "Due to the rural locations of both lines, it can take a long time for Network Rail staff to reach affected locations and rescue stranded passengers – so the organisation considers it safer to shut the line altogether to keep passengers safe."

The Met Office has issued a new red warning, external, covering London, the south-east of England and parts of the east of England.

Here is what we can expect in the areas covered by a red warning:

• Flying debris resulting in danger to life
• Damage to buildings and homes
• Roofs blown off and power lines brought down
• Roads, bridges and railway lines closed
• Cancellations and delays to bus, train, ferry services and flights
• Power cuts
• Large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes

Power companies are warning that if lines come down, engineers may not be able to work at height in strong winds.

Image source, Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Bin collections are being postponed as a result of Storm Eunice.

Huntingdonshire District Council in Cambridgeshire is one that has said its bin lorries will not be out on Friday.

It was among several councils worried about the risk of flying debris and the dangers of loading and unloading bins using the lifting mechanisms on the backs of trucks in very strong winds.

On Thursday night, Great Yarmouth Borough Council , externalissued guidance for households suggesting they refrain from putting half-empty recycling bins out in case they blew over.

RSPB Strumpshaw Fen Nature Reserve, external near Norwich will not be open for bird lovers on Friday due to the high winds.

On its website the bird charity said "We will reopen as soon as possible following safety checks. Please see our social media for updates."

Organisers of Southend LuminoCity said it had "regrettably had to take the difficult decision" to pause the event for one night only on Friday.

LuminoCity , externalfeatures a number of large-scale interactive installations for visitors to see the area in a new light (literally) and experience artworks from around the world.

Due to high winds, an inflatable installation titled Together - showing giant hands in the shape of a love heart - had to be taken down on Wednesday.

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, external and Southend Tourism Partnership, external said the anticipated gusts of up to 70mph for Storm Eunice, meant it could take no chances with safety issues relating to the installations.

The arrival of Storm Eunice means that many half-term activities and venues in Northamptonshire have decided to close today so people should check whether they are still on before setting out.

The expected high winds mean that both Northampton and Daventry markets will not be on.

Chester House Estate, in Irchester, tweeted, external to say the site will be closed and Canons Ashby House near Daventry, Kirby Hall in Corby and Castle Ashby Gardens near Northampton will also be shut.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Some visitor attractions in the BBC East region have already announced that they will not be opening on Friday.

In Bedfordshire, places closed include Whipsnade Zoo, external, which said its keepers would still be on site caring for the animals, and it expected to be open as usual on Saturday.

Woburn Safari Park, external said it would also be closed "for the safety and welfare of our visitors and animals".

In Buckinghamshire, Waddesdon Manor , external(pictured below) will also be closed on Friday, while Wendover Woods , externalwill not be open on Friday or Saturday. It said it planned to reopen on Sunday following site safety checks.

Image source, Waddesdon Manor

Winds from Storm Eunice have forced many outdoor markets to be cancelled due to safety fears.

Haverhill and Mildenhall in Suffolk, and Cambridge are among those that we know to have been cancelled.

The Met Office has issued a red warning for parts of the East of England from 10:00 to 15:00. The rest of the region is under an amber warning.

The weather forecasting agency has said of the red warning that: "Wind gusts in the most exposed coastal areas could be in excess of 90mph, which would bring significant impacts for many and represent a danger to life."

You can find out more about what the red warning means here, external.

More than 100 schools in Buckinghamshire have announced that they will be closed today.

The latest information can be found on the Buckinghamshire Council website, external or the Milton Keynes Council, external website.

Several schools in Suffolk - which are not on half term until next week - have already announced their sites will stay closed today, with pupils doing online learning instead.

Other schools are making decisions this breakfast time. Holbrook Primary near Ipswich is one that has announced it will open this morning, but close at 13:00.

Parents should have received text or email updates.

The latest information can be found on the Suffolk County Council website, external. (You may need to press CTRL+F to search for your school as the list does not appear to be arranged alphabetically.)

The Orwell Bridge in Suffolk closed at 04:00 for safety reasons due to the high winds.

National Highways, external said Storm Eunice was expected to bring wind speeds that exceed 60mph leaving the bridge unsafe to travel on.

It said it would continue to monitor wind speeds closely before making a decision about when to reopen the bridge, which carries the A14 over the River Orwell south of Ipswich, but it is expected to remain closed for most of the day.

The usual diversion route is in place via the A1156, A1189 and A1214 through Ipswich, which usually means massive traffic problems in the town. although it is hoped the advance weather warnings will mean fewer vehicles on the roads.

Greater Anglia, external has said people should only make essential journeys with services on the mainline reduced today as trains have to travel at lower speeds.

Many trains from Ipswich have already been cancelled this morning.

Welcome to our live page which will cover the effects of Storm Eunice in the East of England.

Millions of people have been told to stay at home as one of the worst storms in decades hits the UK.

The Met Office, external had declared an amber warning for wind for much of England and Wales - including the East - from 03:00 to 21:00 GMT on Friday. Then at about 04:00 this morning, it issued a new red warning, external, this time covering London, the south-east of England and parts of the east of England from 10:00 until 15:00.

This means that flying debris resulting "in danger to life" could be expected, as well as power cuts, road closures and damage to homes.

The new warning covers:

• Cambridgeshire
• Central Bedfordshire
• Essex
• Hertfordshire
• Luton
• Southend-on-Sea
• Suffolk
• Thurrock

We’ll keep you up-to-date with all the travel and weather news as well as how the region is being affected by the storm.

Image source, Met Office