[H1]HITCHIN: Our town's iconic St Mary's Church has been forced to close as Storm Eunice hits.[H2]

With gusts of around 80mph forecast today, Friday (February 18) authorities have warned people to stay home.

With a first ever red warning issued for our area including Hitchin, a number of events in Hitchin Town centre have been cancelled. This includes the weekly Friday market as Nub News has reported.

Now, St Mary's is on the list, with churchwarden's explaining: "St Mary's will be closed on Friday due to the forecast storm.

"Apologies for any inconvenience but we wouldn't want anyone to travel unnecessarily. Take care."

Stay up to date with the latest on Storm Eunice in Hitchin with our live news blog here