Hurricane-force winds and torrential rain are battering southern
England with gusts of almost 100mph ripping up trees, tearing through property
and causing flash flooding. Millions of commuters have been left stranded
and warned not to travel today unless it is essential, with at least 40 railway
lines blocked, roads left impassable and hundreds of flights cancelled because
of the most dangerous storm for years.
More than 40,000 homes in the south are currently without power
and the Environment Agency has 19 flood warnings and 147 flood alerts in place.
Trees have been brought down by high winds, damaging property, and
a number of roads left impassable by floodwater. A teenage boy is also feared
dead after being swept out to sea in Newhaven, East Sussex yesterday afternoon.
The Met Office said wind reached more than 99mph on the Isle of Wight at 5am
and the Environment Agency has issued 14 flood warnings for the South West, as
well as 146 flood alerts for the rest of England and Wales.
A total of 7,000 homes in the South West without power were among 15,500 customers of utility company SSE left without power, Downing Street said. Homes were also left without power on the south coast, in Poole, New Forest, Yeovil, Aldershot, Petersfield and Basingstoke, while in West Sussex a further 200 homes are without power.
Travel operators have taken major precautions to protect
passengers. Many train companies in the South are running amended timetables,
with some not operating at all until late morning.
On the roads both Severn bridges are closed, the A249 Sheppey Crossing in Kent is closed due to strong winds and there are 30mph speed limits on the Dartford Crossing in Kent.
About 130 flights are cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport
today, while ferry journeys have also been disrupted, with P&O Condor, DFDS
Seaways and Hovertravel all reporting cancellations.
Source: Dailymailuk
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