A SCHOOL in Ellesmere will be closed on Friday as concerns over the strength of Storm Eunice continue, with more closures confirmed by north Shropshire and Mid Wales venues.

Lakelands Academy, in Oswestry Road, has said that a combination of the amber weather warning in place for Friday and staff absences because of Covid-19 has led to its closure.

Sophy Bellis, from Lakelands, has written to parents to confirm the closure and remote learning for Friday as 60-100mph winds are expected to hit the UK.

She said: "You will be aware that warnings have been issued about Storm Eunice which is set to hit the UK in the small hours of tomorrow morning.

"This morning Shropshire is one of the areas that has been upgraded from a yellow to an amber weather warning.

"Met office chief Frank Saunders has just said that Eunice is going to be “one of the most impactful storms to affect central parts of the UK for some years”.

"The DfE guidance regarding severe weather states: 'During severe weather conditions, such as flooding or snow, you should keep your school or early years setting open for as many children as possible.

"'However, it might be necessary to close temporarily due to inaccessibility or risk of injury. You should do all you can to reopen as soon as possible.'

"So we find ourselves in a new, challenging situation. Snow falls cause significant disruption, but are more of a ‘known quantity’.

"They make roads dangerous and sometimes impassable, but their risks are relatively straightforward and easy to predict.

"We are now being told to prepare for gusts of up to 70-80 mph wind in this Amber zone, with trees falling, flying debris, power outages and possible snow. There is a clear “risk of injury”.

"I find myself in an impossible situation. Nothing is more of a priority for me than student and staff safety, yet with all the disruptions caused by Covid, our children need to be learning."

A number of Shropshire schools have already announced home learning for the last day of half-term but any school that is closed can be found at https://shropshire.gov.uk/school-closures/

Meanwhile, The British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry has announced it will be closed to the public for safety reasons on Friday while bosses at Lake Vyrnwy, near Llanfyllin, also confirmed closure.

They said: "We have taken the decision to close the site. There are weather warnings in the area and for the safety of our visitors and staff the sites will be closed tomorrow.

"We aim to get our sites open as quickly as possible after the storm has passed, we will be checking the trails and buildings to ensure the site is safe so this make take a little bit of time."

Transport for Wales has already cancelled all trains for the country and at English stations it manages, with Gobowen and Chirk stations closed for journeys to Shrewsbury, Wrexham and Chester.