Battening down the hatches before Storm Austen
BBCExtra safety measures have been set up by people and businesses as they prepare for the UK's first named storm of the season.
A red weather warning for wind has been issued in the Channel Islands ahead of Storm Austen, while there is an amber warning from early on Friday of gusts of up to 80mph (130km/h) and heavy rain across parts of Cornwall and Devon.
The conditions are also set to affect parts of Wales, England's south coast, Wiltshire and Somerset.
A number of Cornwall schools are closed or opening late and The Watering Hole bar on Perranporth Beach is taking extra precautions after the venue suffered damage during Storm Goretti in January.
Jamie-Lee Job said the bar lost several glass panels during that storm as the wind physically lifted them up and sent them crashing through a roof canopy.
Ahead of Storm Austen, staff at the bar have been fixing parts of the building down to make them more secure.
"It was quite scary, we've survived a lot of storms but that particular storm we underestimated how bad it was going to be," Job said.
"It is a reminder to us all to best err on the side of caution.
"So for this one we are doing everything we can do to make sure everything is secure and hopefully the roof stays on for this one."
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind on Friday from 00:00 until 17:00 BST. It covers Devon, Cornwall, south Wales, England's south coast, Wiltshire and Somerset, with "transport disruption likely and possible damaging winds in some areas".
From 01:00 until 10:00 this warning is increased to amber for Cornwall, with power cuts and building damage listed among possible consequences.
A separate yellow warning for wind covering other parts of England and Wales including the Midlands, Essex, Manchester and Anglesey has also been issued from 10:00 to 21:00.
The Met Office is advising people to make preparations to protect their property and other people from injury.
It recommends checking for loose items outside homes and making plans to secure them, including bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences.
Trains cancelled
Great Western Railway said its long-distance services would be running from London Paddington to Plymouth rather than Penzance.
It added local trains would provide a shuttle service between Penzance and Plymouth and some early morning services on Saturday could also be cancelled while its teams assess any damage.
No CrossCountry services will operate between Plymouth and Penzance on Thursday and Friday. There may be further changes to services between Bristol, Plymouth and Penzance on Friday and Saturday depending on the impact of Storm Austen.
Cornwall Council said two schools, Nine Maidens AP Academy and St Levan Primary School, would be closed and 30 schools would be opening late on Friday. Parents and carers were advised to check directly with schools before travelling.
National Grid warned that extreme weather could affect power supplies with people urged to use its tracker to report and see the latest on power cuts.
Devon County Council said the Taw Bridge in Barnstaple and Torridge Bridge in Bideford could be closed if winds become unsafe. The council also warned of a risk of coastal flooding along the south Devon coast.
A number of attractions and businesses have already announced closures.
Holiday park operator Haven said it would close its Perran Sands and Riviere Sands parks during the storm. Guests staying at the sites have been asked to leave and arrivals have been delayed.
"We're really sorry that people's breaks are being disrupted but safety of our guests and team comes first," a spokesperson said.
St Michael's Mount said it would be closed all day on Friday due to forecast high winds and poor sea conditions.
Wildwood Devon said its park and cafe would be closed on 23 October, while Dartmoor Zoo said it would close on Friday and had cancelled its Night of the Dead event on 23 and 24 October.
Dartmouth Food Festival has also been impacted by the storm with organisers pushing some events planned for Friday back to Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, Newquay Business Improvement District said it had cancelled Saturday's Zombie Crawl parade due to the weather forecast.
Chris Eves in Perranporth said he had stocked up on supplies in case of lost power during Storm Austen.
"We've got loads of torches and candles and lots of flasks so we should be OK," he said.
Another woman who was walking along the town's beach said she was preparing to "hunker down".
"I've got lots of candles, we've got a rechargeable radio, rechargeable lights, a gas-fired pizza oven and I am thinking about buying a primus stove as well," she said.
"I am also thinking I won't have anything expensive in my freezer, so if there's a power cut I won't lose too much."
In Devon, storm preparation at the Pebbleridge Kitchen near Northern Burrows Country Park is a "well-versed process" after the last winter.
Josie Tennant, operations manager across the Royal George Group, which runs the cafe, said: "We're super exposed here so we make sure all the furniture is against the building so that anything moving around is not moving too far so it can't hurt anyone.
"We also make sure all the shutters are down so the rain is not being driven into the building and then we are looking out for red alerts as well."
The RNLI has reminded those along the coast to exercise "extreme caution if visiting the shoreline, especially along exposed cliffs and seafronts".
Appledore RNLI Coxswain Simon McCarthy said his crew was ready to go out "at any time" and was securing its boats with extra lashings while monitoring the storm.
"With the amber warning, it means the all-weather lifeboats are more called upon," McCarthy explained.
"The inshore boats have got their limitations, so we have to make sure we have crew available."
He added: "We really do want people to be sensible. The sea will always win."
