KINGSTON parkrun will not be taking place tomorrow due to safety concerns, as Storm Eunice continues to batter London and the South East.

Gusts of over 40mph have been forecast to hit the town around midday tomorrow (19th February) - a lower speed than today's strong winds but still higher than usual.

The high winds have resulted in falling trees and blanket rail cancellations across the SWR network.

Kingston parkrun had originally planned to go ahead with the usual timed 5k run which takes place every Saturday at 9am from the YMCA Hawker centre.

But joggers taking part in the run and volunteer marshals in high-vis will not be on the towpath tomorrow, the organisation announced on its Facebook page today.

The update reads: "It is with much regret that we have decided to cancel Kingston parkrun tomorrow 19th Feb, due to safety concerns.

"Can I take the time to thank the high viz heroes who didn't get the opportunity to show how much we love them tomorrow."

Nearby Bushy and Richmond parkruns have also been cancelled as both Royal Parks have been closed today due to the storm and will need a full health and safety inspection before re-opening tomorrow.

The event director for Richmond, Andy Caie, said: "The Royal Parks have closed the park today, with a Health and Safety inspection taking place before potential reopening on Saturday morning.

"The inspection will not be concluded until after our normal start time so our event is cancelled."

In addition, the Royal Parks said Richmond and Bushy parks will not re-open until they are confirmed safe.

A spokesperson said: "We will monitor the forecast closely over the next 24 hours and will communicate updates via our website www.royalparks.org.uk, twitter account @theroyalparks and Facebook pages.

"We will reopen all parks, including Bushy Park as soon as it's safe to do so. Until the parks are open it will not be possible to visit the parks for any purpose."