Blackpool's Christmas By The Sea skating rink will stay shut tonight due to Storm Arwen

The huge rink - spanning 40 metres (131ft) in length - is the sparkling centrepiece of Blackpool' s Christmas By The Sea village, but it will have to stay closed today as Storm Arwen hits the UK.

The first named storm of the winter, Arwen is forecast to brings gusts in excess of 75mph to parts of Britain, and a yellow weather warning is now in place for the Fylde Coast, from 9am to midnight.

A Visit Blackpool spokesman said: "Due to a forecast of high winds along the coast on Friday evening (November 26), the skating rink in the Christmas By The Sea village on the Tower Festival Headland will be closed for safety reasons.

"We hope to reopen the rink for some of the remaining sessions this weekend, but please check our website for further updates."

Standing in the shadow of Blackpool Tower, the free-to-use rink has been a huge hit since it opened on Saturday (November 20).

But there is still plenty of time to get your skates on - the skating rink will remain open until January 3, except Christmas Day.

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