Britain has been hit by delivery chaos today as several firms cancelled services amid safety concerns in Storm Eunice.
Deadly wind speeds of up to 122mph were recorded on England’s southern coast today as Storm Eunice swept across the country, felling trees and damaging homes.
Forecasters and government officials have urged people to stay indoors are placing to red warnings over London and southwest England.
But the chance of getting a Friday night takeaway or parcel deliveries are now extremely slim after several firms said they were suspending services over safety fears.
Deliveroo and Uber Eats have confirmed they were shutting down in areas affected by the red weather warnings.
Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Royal Mail have confirmed they would shut down services in areas covered by the red warning for Storm Eunice amid safety fears as wind gusts reached 122mph today
A message on the Deliveroo app reads: ‘In the interest of keeping riders safe, our service is not available at the moment due to a red weather warning.’
A message on the Deliveroo app reads: ‘We’ll be back delivering again when it is safe to do so.’
They added: ‘In the interest of keeping riders safe, our service is not available at the moment due to a red weather warning.’
While Uber Eats say: ‘For courier safety, our delivery service is currently unavailable due to a weather alert.’
It is not known whether Just Eat has followed suit with its main rivals.
A Deliveroo Spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘In the interest of keeping riders safe, Deliveroo’s service is not available in London and the South East or Wales and areas of the South West at the moment due to the red weather warning and adverse conditions.
‘We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with our partners and riders to let them know when we plan to reopen these areas.’
A message on the Uber Eats app says: ‘For courier safety, our delivery service is currently unavailable due to a weather alert.’
People on social media welcomed the decision, with one saying: ‘I am glad Deliveroo have cancelled any orders today due to the storm, so the delivery guys don’t have to work through it.’
The huge wind gusts and adverse conditions have also affected parcel delivery services, with Royal Mail taking the decision to immediately close offices in red warning areas.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: ‘In areas for which the Met Office has issued a red warning, we have had no choice but to suspend deliveries and close our delivery offices.
‘In areas covered by an amber warning, we are assessing risk based on local knowledge, and will keep services running where possible.
‘We will be reviewing the situation throughout the day, while continuing to prioritise the safety of our staff and customers.’
The top speed of 122mph at Needles on the Isle of Wight today is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England and means Storm Eunice is now worse than the 1987 Great Storm when gusts peaked at 115mph in West Sussex.
The Met Office issued the first red warning for the South West at 11am yesterday, 20 hours in advance, before issuing the second for the South East at 4am today – just six hours before the ‘extremely strong winds’ begin.
The fallen tree in Bude, Cornwall, is pictured this morning after it was felled by very strong winds from Storm Eunice
Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse and the harbour wall in East Sussex this morning as Storm Eunice hits Britain
The O2 in Greenwich, South East London, had a series of roof panels ripped off by Storm Eunice this morning
The South West warning covers coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as South Wales due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge – while the second is over most of South East England.
The Met Office had warned that the phenomenon known as a ‘sting jet’ – a small area of highly intense wind inside a storm – could form, similar to the 1987 Great Storm. However forecasters later said this would not be the case.
Forecasters today urged Britons to work from home in the worst affected areas – with the centre of the storm expected to be up the Bristol Channel and around the narrowing of the River Severn in Gloucestershire.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted today: ‘The Met Office has issued a red weather warning for much of the UK. We should all follow the advice and take precautions to keep safe. I thank responders for all their efforts.’
People should ‘take precautions’ during Storm Eunice, the Government has said, adding that the Army is on ‘high readiness standby’ to help.
