Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is urging farmers to make safety their top priority as the Met Office predicts hurricane-force winds will hit the UK on Friday.

Storm Eunice is set to strike from the early hours of Friday morning and continue into the night. It comes after Storm Dudley brought high-speed winds on Wednesday and into Thursday, causing significant damage.

Friday’s storm is expected to be even more damaging, bringing chaos to the countryside. The Met Office has issued a red weather warning in the South West England and South Wales, with high-speed winds expected to bring power lines down, cause significant damage to buildings, rip trees from the ground and cause coastal flooding. Flying debris could result in danger to life, and massive travel disruption is also predicted as transport links are closed, roads and rail are blocked by debris and wind and rain make driving perilous. The Environment Agency is also urging those in flood-prone areas along the Severn and Wye estuaries to prepare for flooding from a tidal surge caused by Storm Eunice.

Rebecca Davidson, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “It’s a fast-changing situation and we are urging people to keep up to date with weather warnings.

“Many farms are in exposed locations so we are urging farmers to plan ahead, take extreme care and not to underestimate the potential danger of Storm Eunice, including risk to life.

“There are a number of preventative steps that you can take while the weather is calm before a storm to help protect your property, but human safety should always be the number one priority.

“Plan evacuation routes to get staff and livestock to safety in the case of extreme weather and identify safer ground that you can move livestock to in event of flooding or snow. Animals may also get stranded so it’s worth increasing provisions to see them through.

“We have mobilised our network of 550 Agents across the UK. They know their communities and are on standby to progress repairs after the storms, including making emergency payments and settling simpler claims immediately. We also work closely with agricultural specialist loss adjusters, so if you are unfortunate and have a bad loss on your farm then we're able to deploy people who understand your business.”

Protecting yourself and your farm in a storm

Before the storm

• Prepare for power cuts: Have torches and batteries to hand and make sure any generators are ready to use if required.
• Plan evacuation routes to get staff and livestock to safety in the case of extreme weather – identify safer ground that you can move livestock to in event of flooding or snow.
• Plan water and feed in advance, and increase provisions for animals who may end up cut-off during a storm and it may be unsafe to reach them.

• Have emergency numbers available including your utility company, local authority and insurer’s emergency helpline.
• Download the what3words app which can pinpoint your location in case of emergency.

During the storm

• Keep all building doors and windows closed.
• If you have to leave the house, tell people where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Avoid the sheltered side of walls and trees when walking.
• If journeys are essential, drive slowly and carefully, staying aware of high winds on exposed roads and ice and water on the road.
• Do not attempt emergency repairs during the storm.

After

• Be aware after a storm or weather event, power cables or powerlines may have been brought down.
• Check field boundaries are intact as trees can bring down fences and result in animals straying.
• Don't enter any buildings that could be unsafe following a storm.