Radio caller claims red weather storm warnings are 'scaremongering'

Although the Met Office has issued a red weather warning in parts of the country and advised people to stay indoors as Storm Eunice hits the UK today, one radio caller is having none of it and declared the cautions were "scaremongering."

During Tom Swarbrick's show on LBC, the host chatted on the phone to listener Sam from Cranleigh who shared his discontent at the fuss that's being made over the storm.

"It's a bit windy," the caller conceded but added how the weather is "actually not that bad."

Swarbrick informed Sam that there is a red weather warning coming in across the South East of England, challenging the caller, he replied: "...so that would be your part of the world Sam - from ten o'clock so you've not got the worst of it yet."

"Yeah but my argument is that they changed it, it was meant to come at 5 o'clock and they've changed it to now 10 o'clock and upgraded it a red and it just confuses me because it seems like scaremongering," Sam said.

"No, well that's just the experts saying what's happening out there above our heads and clouds isn't it? That's just the changing weather, literally."

Sam then gave an example to argue that it is similar to when snow is predicted to hit the country - only for it to be "two inches deep."

"So the whole notion of telling people to stay indoors to close schools to stop all trains Sam, you say is over the top?" Swarbrick asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied before revealing the weather certainly hasn't put off his plans: "I wouldn't be climbing up a ladder or climbing in a tree today if I thought it was that bad."

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"I was going to say I don't you need to bother getting up the tree if the winds hit as they're anticipated to do at ten, the wind will bring it down for you," the LBC host said in response.

The phone line then appears momentarily cut off by the sounds of strong winds to which host Tom Swarbrick couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.

"I think the wind got him," Swarbrick quipped.

Of course, people on Twitter shared their thoughts on the phone call and couldn't quite believe what they were hearing from Sam, while others thought it was a wind-up from the caller.

Let's hope Sam heeds the internet's advice and stays away from any ladders or trees today.

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