River of Light festival opening night cancelled as weather warning issued
Decision taken 'in the interests of safety'
The opening evening of Liverpool's popular River of Light has been cancelled due to the strong winds brought by Storm Austen.
The event, billed as Liverpool's free outdoor light festival, is due to run until 1st November, featuring 13 art installations spread across the docks and parts of the city centre.
But after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds, organisers announced on Friday afternoon that the evening event would not be taking place.
In a statement issued on Facebook, organisers Culture Liverpool said:
"Due to the deteriorating weather conditions caused by Storm Austen, this evenings's (23 October) River of Light event has now been cancelled in the interests of safety.
"Please keep an eye on our social channels for any further updates over the weekend. "
It is not clear yet weather events scheduled for the weekend will be affected.
A further yellow weather warning for wind has been issued by the Met Office from 12.00pm on Saturday to 9.00pm on Sunday, with the arrival of Storm Boelo.