Storm Darragh: Weekend events cancelled in South Wiltshire
A yellow weather warning is in place until Sunday morning
A number of weekend events in Salisbury have been cancelled by the City Council due to the predicted impact of Storm Darragh.
Forecasters warn winds could reach up to 80 miles an hour.
In a statement, the Council said: "After closely monitoring the weekend’s weather forecast, we’ve made the difficult decision to adjust some activities in the Guildhall Square and Market Place this weekend for safety reasons."
On Saturday (7/12) the Charter Market is OFF. Traders are told not to attend, including those with hard structures like vehicles, or fruit and veg stalls.
All Christmas on the Square events will be closed on Saturday too, including the Gift Fayre, Santa’s Grotto, Snow Bar, and food huts. Anyone with a Sant's Grotto booking for Saturday will be contacted by the City Council to reschedule.
On Sunday, the Christmas Market is also cancelled, while the City Council hopes to be able to open Christmas on the Square to the public.
However, they've warned they are constantly monitoring the situation and that further closures and cancellations remain possible.
The Craft & Gift Market inside Salisbury Guildhall will go ahead as planned from Friday 6 December through to Sunday 8 December.
The City Council said: "Your safety, and that of our traders, remains our top priority. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."
Other events and attractions forced to close
The impact of Storm Darragh isn't limited to Salisbury City Centre, with attractions across the South of the county also affected.
National Trust sites Mompesson House and Stourhead have both confirmed their closure.
In a Facebook post, Stourhead said: "Christmas at Stourhead and Storytime with Father Christmas are sadly cancelled on Saturday 7 December.
"If you have tickets for these events, you will be contacted by email regards re-booking and refunds. There will be a later opening on Sunday 8 December to allow a full safety inspection to take place. Stay safe."
While Mompesson House said: "Unfortunately due to high winds forecast on Saturday 7 December, we have had to take the decision to close Mompesson House. We will be back open on Sunday 8 December."
Another attraction closing it's doors on Saturday is Longleat Safari Park.
They took the decision to close two weeks ago during Storm Bert on safety grounds.
Head of Operations Scott Ashman said there was no question that safety must come first.
“We know this will be disappointing for guests, some of whom booked many months ago and sadly some who rebooked for this weekend after we had to cancel two weeks ago. However, we also know they will understand that safety must come first, and we are really grateful for the messages of support we received after Storm Bert and over the last 24 hours or so.
“Closing the site during one of our showcase events – The Festival of Light - is not a decision taken lightly but safety is paramount and with wind gusts predicted to top 60mph, it was, a simple one to make,” he said.
“The Festival of Light is a spectacular lantern display with some reaching 12 metres tall and we also have a 15 metre high Christmas Tree. This is in addition to the thousands of trees across the 9000-acre estate, all of which are vulnerable to high winds.
“We have been monitoring the forecasts closely, as we know they can change, and we didn’t want to disrupt people’s plans if that was to happen. However, the forecast has got worse so we took the decision to close today to ensure we gave visitors as much notice as possible.
“We have put in place automatic refunds for everyone who has booked. We are also conscious that many days have already sold out so we have been working hard this morning to increase the number of twilight tickets so people can rebook if they wish to do so. Naturally rebooking is subject to availability, but we hope the majority can be accommodated in some way.
“All refunds from the closure due to Storm Bert have now been completed.
Scott said the estate will continue to monitor the weather situation but are currently planning to reopen on Sunday 8 December with any changes updated on their website.