London fireworks: Mayor issues urgent warning ahead of New Year's Eve fireworks display

City Hall has said it is monitoring the weather ahead of the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for the capital, which comes into force on New Year’s Day.

Gusts of wind with speeds up to 60mph are expected to batter the capital on January 1st. The warning officially comes into force at 9am on Wednesday and ends at 6am on Thursday (January 2nd.)

Other weather warnings are in place across the country from tomorrow, including an Amber warning for rain in Scotland.

While there is no official warning in place for London tomorrow (December 31st), forecasters have predicted rain and winds of up to 40mph in the run-up to midnight.

As a result, the Mayor’s Office has said it will be keeping an eye on the forecast to ensure the safety of spectators.

The Mayor of London is also issuing a warning about ticket scammers ahead of the event.

Tickets have now sold out for the event that takes place in Southbank and along Victoria Embankment. Resale tickets are only available on Ticketmaster.

Met Police are working alongside organisers of the event, stressing there will be no access for anyone without legitimate tickets.

Last year fake tickets caused major disruption to the New Year’s Eve event, which is attended by thousands of people annually.

There will be a highly visible police presence in London tomorrow night, and police stewards will be monitoring crowds.

Commander Nick John, who is leading the New Year’s Eve policing operation said: London is expected to be exceptionally busy tomorrow night, especially in the West End.

He added that people should plan how to get home after celebrations and said it was regrettable that in recent years a minority had tried to illegally enter ticketed events putting everyone’s safety at risk.

Hear his full statement and find out further details about the annual display in our video explainer above.