New Year's Eve events cancelled amid high winds, heavy rain and weather warnings

Bad weather caused several New Year's Eve firework displays to be cancelled last night, as heavy rain and high winds threatened to dampen the party spirit of thousands of revellers.

- Tom Ambrose

In the south-west of England, an event in Plymouth and a Devon town's firework display were among those to be pulled because of the wet conditions, and the Met Office warned that exposed coasts and hills on the southern coast of England and in south Wales would continue to be battered by strong winds.

Organisers of Plymouth's Winter Wonderland said they had taken the "very difficult decision" to cancel its plans for New Year's Eve because of severe gales. "As much as we are very disappointed and frustrated, your safety comes first, as well as ours, and we can't possibly take the risk," they said, confirming those who had bought tickets would be refunded.