A BBC weather presenter has condemned the "ridiculous" coverage of storms by the sea in areas where a severe weather alert has been issued.

BBC Look North's Jen Bartram slammed the decision by some news channels to "cover" the storm in "red weather warning" areas in the South of England.

It comes as clips showing TV reporters struggling in live scenes where up to 80mph winds are forecast have gone viral today.

FOLLOW LIVE: Storm Eunice LIVE: Updates from North East and Yorkshire

Replying to a thread on Twitter, which showed a Sky News reporter hit by a wave while advising viewers that the advice is to "stay inside," Ms Bartram weighed in.

She said: "This is ridiculous. There are plenty of ways to report this without someone on the seafront in a red warning area. What part of danger to lie is unclear?"

On one clip, a presenter can be seen as she is hampered by a wave in Porthcawl in South Wales.

Earlier today, members of the public were urged to avoid the coastline in search of dramatic footage of Storm Eunice.

Roy Stokes from the Environment Agency said it was “probably the most stupid thing you can do” to travel to the most exposed areas, with gusts of up to 90mph expected on the coastline.

In the North East, parts of County Durham have been hit by snow while hundreds of homes are without power.

Northern Powergrid last night warned that the areas with "significant impact" are likely to be the same parts which suffered the most during Storms Arwen and Malik.

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