Fierce 100 m.p.h. gales and heavy rain and snow swept across Britain yesterday, causing flooding, damage to buildings and power cuts in thousands of homes in the west country and south Wales. A man died in Staffordshire when a tree crushed his car.
The south and west got the worst of hurricane-force winds, while in Scotland heavy snow led motoring organisations to warn drivers to make only vital journeys.
The highest wind, of 115 m.p.h., which was recorded at The Mumbles in south Wales, prompted coastguards in the area to describe the storm as the worst they had experienced. The vicious weather began sweeping in from the Atlantic on Saturday and led to the closure of many roads and bridges, particularly in Wales, Scotland and the south-west, and the cancellation of sporting events and ferry services.
As the rain and high winds continued to batter the country yesterday, up to 85,000 west country homes were without power as gusts of more than 90 m.p.h. downed cables. Many roads were blocked by uprooted trees.
Stretches of motorways in Somerset, Durham, Devon, Cornwall and the south coast were flooded and closed to vehicles. In Scotland, the Forth Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge were closed to high-sided and light vehicles.
In south Wales a spokesman for SWALEC, the regional electricity company, said yesterday every available engineer was working to reconnect power supplies to hundreds of homes.
The severe weather also affected the south Wales police control room in Bridgend during part of yesterday. Officers were forced to re-route emergency calls through their offices in Swansea and Cardiff because winds brought down telephone lines.
In Scotland the Avalanche Information Service warned climbers and skiers that heavy snow had increased the risk of avalanches in the Glencoe and northern Cairngorm areas.
The British Met Office warned last night severe storms will continue through most of the week, dying down on Friday.
In the Midlands, emergency services were inundated with calls since the storm hit its height at about 6 p.m.
Floods and falling trees have caused serious problems and motorists are being told not to go out. West Mercia police, responsible for Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire, have asked for the public's help in moving trees blocking roads.
A spokesman said police, fire and council workers were finding it "increasingly difficult" to deal with the number of calls. "If obstructions can be moved safely, and, I stress, safely, we would ask for the assistance of the public."
A man died after a tree fell on his car in high winds at Wombourne, Staffordshire, the West Midlands ambulance service said.
In Sussex, homes were flooded in Felpham, Arundel and Eastbourne.
In Southampton, Hampshire, there was structural damage to the Leisureworld development. The Itchen Bridge was closed because of winds.
Serious flooding brought 40 cars to a standstill in New Milton as they were engulfed by water. Trees blocked roads across the county, including the A3 at Liphook, in Portsmouth and at Burley, Emery Down and Milford-on-Sea. Power cables were also brought down in Bitterne, Southampton.
Part of the roof of a restaurant in Basingstoke was blown into a car park.