Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Storm damage: Thousands still without power

Storm damage: Thousands still without power

Crushed car in which Donal Drohan diedDonal Drohan died when the car he was driving was crushed by a tree in Watford

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Over 57,000 homes are still without power after a storm battered Britain.
Engineers restored supplies to 100,000 homes overnight after heavy rainfall and winds of more than 70mph (112 km/h) hit parts of the country.
Four people are known to have have died in the storm which brought major rail and road disruption to commuters in southern Britain on Monday.
Most rail companies say services should be back to normal on Tuesday, but there is still disruption on some routes.
Bethany Freeman, 17, suffered fatal injuries when a tree came down on the caravan she was sleeping in in Hever, near Edenbridge, Kent, at about 07:20 GMT.
Donal Drohan, 51, from Harrow, was pronounced dead at the scene after a tree crushed a red Peugeot 307 at Lower High Street in Watford, Hertfordshire, at 06:50 GMT.
Bethany FreemanBethany Freeman was staying in a caravan next to her family home
And a man and woman died in west London following a suspected gas explosion after a tree fell during high winds in Hounslow.
The Energy Networks Association said more than 660,000 homes in total had lost supply during the storm. Some 48,000 properties in the East and 9,600 in the South East still have no electricity.
BBC News correspondent Duncan Kennedy, reporting from Berkshire, said engineers had had trouble reaching some of the more remote areas in southern England because of fallen trees and it could be a few days before power supplies were restored to all locations.
Network Rail said the damage to infrastructure had been "worse than expected", with more than 100 trees on lines.
Train operators - who cancelled hundreds of services because of the bad weather - are expected to resume normal services on Tuesday but some travel disruption remains:
  • Greater Anglia says disruption and cancellations are expected on a number of routes until approximately 12:00 GMT on Tuesday and is advising passengers not to travel unless necessary
  • Stansted Express services are resuming with a half-hourly service
  • First Capital Connect says it expects to run a full service but with some disruption or delays on some journeys
  • C2C says a near-normal service will resume but buses will be replacing trains from Barking to Grays via Rainham
  • East Coast says it will operate a near-normal service but delays of up to 30 minutes are occurring through Peterborough and between Stevenage and King's Cross
  • Southeastern is expecting to operate a normal service on all routes but says there may be some cancellations so passengers should check before setting out
  • Chiltern Railways is running a normal service but says there may be some delays and short-notice cancellations
  • London Midland says it will run a normal service with one exception - buses will replace trains between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey until Wednesday

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Ferry crossings and flights were also affected as the storm moved across the UK.
The Environment Agency had dozens of flood warnings in place on Monday - in areas of south-west England, East Anglia and the Midlands where flooding was expected - but now only two remain in place.
Initial estimates of the level of financial damage caused by the storm are not expected until later this week, the Association of British Insurers said.
BBC weather forecasters said in more populous areas including Lyneham, near Swindon; Yeovilton in Somerset and Hurn, near Bournemouth, speeds of 74-75mph (119-121km/h) had been recorded.
The strongest gust of 99mph during the storm was recorded at Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight, at 05:00 GMT.
Wind speeds of 115mph were recorded during the so-called Great Storm of October 1987.
Eight people died as the storm swept through France, Germany and the Netherlands after it moved out of the UK shortly after 12:00 GMT.
The search for the 14-year-old boy - who has been named as Dylan Alkins - who was swept away in Newhaven, East Sussex on Sunday is continuing.
Police at scene of suspected gas explosion in Hounslow, west LondonThree houses collapsed and two others were damaged in a suspected gas explosion in west London
Crushed static caravan in Hever near EdenbridgeBethany Freeman suffered fatal injuries when a tree crushed the caravan she was sleeping in
Passengers wait on concourse at King's Cross station after train services were cancelledPassengers waited on the concourse at King's Cross station after train services were cancelled
Workers have cleared the track at Alton in Hampshire, as this picture tweeted by South West Trains showsWorkers have cleared the track at Alton in Hampshire, as this picture tweeted by South West Trains shows
Debris of fallen trees in Hounslow, west LondonHundreds of trees fell across the country

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