Devon suffers aftermath of Storm Emma

Travel still difficult. Hundreds didn't make it home on Thursday

Devon’s news continues to be dominated by the weather. The Met Office red warning’s been lifted overnight. A Met Office amber warning for strong winds and ice was downgraded to a yellow warning at 8am. It still means care has to be taken. Police are advising people to travel only if absolutely necessary. Many motorists were trapped for hours on the county’s roads on Thursday night. Devon County Council opened rescue centres at Chudleigh and Kenn for people who couldn’t get home from Haldon Hill and Telegraph Hill - and at Okehampton where there were serious crashes on the A30 in the early evening. Both the council and the police urge people not to drive today.

A thousand properties in South Devon - mainly in Teignmouth, Kingsbridge and Modbury are without power - Western Power can’t say when they’ll be back on. The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and Torbay Hospital declared critical internal incidents. The RD&E asked staff within walking distance of Wonford to go in last night to cover for others who couldn’t get in. Minor injuries units at Exmouth and Tiverton are still open. Honiton closed - but should re-open at 9 this morning.

More than 330 schools and colleges will stay closed until Monday. There’s a full list on the Radio Exe website.

Crosscountry trains out of Exeter have been cancelled. First Great Western is running some services, but there are delays and they’re advising people not to travel. Stagecoach buses are still suspended in North Devon. Further afield, the army’s been called into help with blizzard conditions in Somerset, where police have declare a major incident.