Christmas Day storm fears in Brighton and Hove prove unfounded

Fears of further storms in Brighton and Hove on Christmas Day turned out to be unfounded.

The annual Christmas Day swim in Brighton was cancelled by Brighton and Hove City Council on the basis of the forecasts.

The council said that it would close the section of the beach where the swim traditionally takes place.

Rather than the sea being stormy, it was calmer and flatter this morning than it has been for days.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day are expected to be calm and mostly dry but storms are expected to return on Friday, the Met Office said. More than an inch of rain could fall in places.

Forecasters issued a severe weather warning for southern England which predicted heavy rain and high winds again.

After a lull at the weekend, the storms are predicted to pick up again on Monday (30 December) and New Year’s Eve.

It said: “Spells of rain affecting the UK late Thursday and Friday are expected to be heavy at times with 10mm to 20mm expected to fall quite widely.

“Locally in excess of 30mm is likely over parts of Wales, Northern Ireland and southern England while more than 40mm are expected locally over Scotland and northern England.

“The public should be aware of the potential for disruption, especially where ground is already saturated and where high winds are combined with heavy rainfall.

“Please watch for updates to this warning over the coming days, especially those who have travel plans.”