80mph winds batter Britain

9:30am Monday 10th March 2008

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Winds of more than 80mph ripped through Britain today as police warned travellers to use "extreme caution" amid fears of heavy delays.

The South West was battered overnight with winds of around 75mph - and more is expected.

Trees have been uprooted and buildings damaged across the country, with the emergency services bracing themselves after a night of gale-force winds.

A tree came down across the A350 near the turning for the Whitehall Garden Centre at Lacock, causing an obstruction.

Wiltshire Police have reported 35 incidents overnight, most of them involving downed trees.

There have been reports of some school closures, check local media for updates.

Cornwall County Fire Brigade has all its crews on standby and, in preparation for possible floods, brought in extra equipment.

It includes two rescue boats - one from Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade and one from Wiltshire - and a high-volume pump from Warwickshire.

The brigade also has its own rescue boat on standby.

The storms brought down a number of trees overnight across Devon and Cornwall.

And a power failure in the Wagebridge area of north Cornwall was being dealt with by Western Power.

The Tamar Bridge, which links Devon and Cornwall at Plymouth, was closed to high-sided vehicles, caravans and motor cycles.

Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Bob Spencer said: "In the event of bad weather, please stay indoors and do not attempt any journeys which are not completely necessary."

The highest recorded wind speed so far is 82mph in Berry Head in Brixham, south Devon, while the Needles off the coast of the Isle of Wight experienced gusts of 70mph.

The winds were making their way towards London this morning, with Heathrow being buffeted by 42mph winds. In other parts of the country the east coast of Northern Ireland hit 63mph, it was 49mph in Crosby in Merseyside and 46mph in Birmingham.

Police in Devon & Cornwall, South Wales and Dorset, the areas most severely hit overnight, said there had been no major incidents.

But all reported that trees have been uprooted on roads and rail lines and warned of the danger to morning commuters. In Lytchett Matravers near Poole in Dorset a tree came down on a house, but there are no reports of any injuries.

Inspector Mike Kynaston of Dorset Police warned people to make only "essential" journeys.

He said: "Unless your journey is absolutely essential I would not travel, and if you are travelling do so with extreme caution."

The Environment Agency currently has seven severe flood warnings in force, 48 flood warnings and 53 flood watches.

Thousands of people in the West Country and South Wales woke up to find they were without power this morning.

A spokesman for Western Power Distribution (WPD) said there were 4,500 homes without electricity across the region after falling trees crashed through power lines.

He said engineers were working to reconnect homes as soon as possible, and that the figure had fallen from 5,500 in the early hours of this morning.

People have been urged to stay away from coastal areas for fear they will be swept away amid gale-force winds, rain and hailstones.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency advised members of the public to stay away from the waves, but reported there had been no serious incidents overnight.

They added: "Due to inclement weather conditions, the Coastguard would advise all mariners and visitors to the coast to be very wary over the next few days.

"There may be some extremely difficult weather conditions out at sea and on exposed coastlines. As always, it is important to be aware of the weather, tides and sea conditions prior to making any excursion to the coast or out to sea, and the Coastguard is available 24 hrs a day to provide that information."

The Met Office has severe weather warnings in place for most of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and central Scotland.

Last night Gordon Brown held a crisis telephone conference with officials from the EA, the Met Office and relevant government departments, as well as the emergency services and armed forces, to discuss the storm.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "They got the latest updates from the Met Office and Environment Agency and looked at the planned response to the incoming weather, the potential effect on the critical national infrastructure, and the contingencies in place to deal with the effects of the storm.

"They also discussed the public information campaign which is under way.

"The Prime Minister listened in on the call and made a couple of points."

Meanwhile, air and train delays and cancellations are expected.

British Airways cancelled several short-haul and domestic flights out of Heathrow Airport last night, and both Heathrow and Gatwick advised travellers to check with airlines before leaving home.

A statement on Bristol Airport's website said that while all possible steps would be taken to avoid disruption to airport operations in the event of severe weather, safety remained paramount at all times. It advised passengers to check in as normal.

P&O Ferries has cancelled its sailing from Bilbao to Portsmouth on March 11 because of the severe weather warning, according to an announcement on its website.

The National Rail website warned commuters to expect delays on the railways, imposing a temporary speed limit in parts of the country.

Sancha Lancaster, a spokeswoman for the Met Office, said rail delays were particularly likely on vulnerable lines such as the London to Penzance route, and the very worst weather was due to strike during the afternoon rush hour.

She said: "The strongest gusts of wind, reaching up to 80mph, are likely to happen between midday and late afternoon, affecting afternoon rush hour and possible coinciding with high tides on the south and west coasts."

The Environment Agency has opened its national incident room, warning of the risk of high waves and flooding in Wales, the south west, and southern England.

Paul Leinster, Environment Agency director of operations, said there would be a "potent cocktail" of strong winds, wave action and high tides from last night until Wednesday.

"The gale force winds will combine with spring high tides to significantly elevate the water levels along the coast by up to 1.5 metres over normal levels, which is likely to cause some flooding."

Around 170 residents of a caravan park are being evacuated by emergency services as a precaution ahead of the expected stormy weather.

Police officers last night advised people living at the Lighthouse Park Caravan Site in St Brides, Newport, south Wales, to evacuate their properties because of potential flooding and structural damage.

Residents of around 12 coastal homes in nearby Gold Cliff and Redwick were also visited by Gwent Police and advised to evacuate.

Newport Leisure Centre has been set up as an evacuation rest centre by the city council.

If anyone leaves their property they are advised to go directly to the leisure centre where they should notify a council representative of whether they intend to stay there or with friends and family.

The Cleddau Bridge is likely to be closed for much of today and drivers can expect diversions to be in place. The road at Newgale will be closed from 6am.

:: If you believe you are at risk of flooding call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for advice on what to do before, during and after a flood.

A Brixham coastguard spokesman said: "It is not wise to go down to the coast to observe the conditions.

"It is spectacular - but there is a risk of being blown into the sea, or from waves coming over the top of sea defences."

The threat to the south-west coastline comes from what the Environment Agency described as one of the deepest weather depressions in a decade.

That would raise sea levels by around 1.5 metres on top of high tides - resulting in flood threats to some coastal areas.

Coastgaurd teams were out in vulnerable areas today with loudhailers warning of potential flooding and extra police were on standby to help.

Some householders were already preparing for the threat of floods with sandbags.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency warned leisure boat owners not to go to sea until the weather calmed down.

The gales brought down scaffolding in East Street, Torquay, Devon, just after 4am, closing the road.