A woman has died after being impaled by a tree which fell on the car in which she was a passenger as storm-force winds and heavy rain blasted Britain.
Gusts of up to 100mph were recorded as flights were disrupted, power cables downed and bridges closed during 24 hours of mayhem, which caused severe damage to Blackpool's seafront and attractions. Four flood warnings remain in force in northern England today, according to the Environment Agency.
The woman, from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, was severely injured in the accident and had to be freed from the Vauxhall Zafira car by firefighters. She died later at Pinderfields hospital, Wakefield, a short distance from where the accident happened. Police say a man driving the car is not thought to have life-threatening injuries. Some homes in the area were evacuated last night and the road, the A642 from Wakefield to Rothwell, remained closed today as police investigated the accident.
Today, an RAF rescue helicopter and two lifeboats went to the aid of a fishing boat struggling in "atrocious" weather off the east coast. The 60ft boat – Fruitful Harvest III – was taking on water off Cromer, Norfolk, as winds of nearly 70mph whipped waves to around 20ft. Pumps were lowered from the helicopter to the boat, which was being escorted back to Grimsby by the lifeboats.
In Blackpool, hundreds of pounds' worth of damage was caused to the illuminations and scaffolding and plastic sheeting around the town's famous tower was blown down, causing the closure of part of the promenade and town centre. Further south, on Merseyside, student halls of residence were evacuated after a 60ft tree crashed into a Liverpool Hope University building.
Trains in west Cumbria were cancelled after winds damaged the Eskmeals viaduct at Ravenglass. High winds caused aircraft to be diverted from Leeds Bradford airport last night, with one flight from Dublin switching to Liverpool and others landing at Manchester. Flights and ferry crossings from the mainland to the Isle of Man were cancelled. The winds also brought down power lines in Northern Ireland, leaving thousands of homes without power.
There was localised flooding in Wales and the Isle of Wight, while the QEII bridge, carrying traffic across the Thames between Dartford and Thurrock, was closed yesterday afternoon.
The highest wind was recorded in a gust on Great Dun Fell in the Pennines. Highest rainfall was recorded in Shap, Cumbria, where 29mm fell in 12 hours. This morning winds were still topping 60mph along the coast in north-west England, but today was expected to be less stormy across much of Britain, though with stiff breezes.
Aisling Creevey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the Press Association's weather company, said: "It's unusual to see sustained winds for such a long period of time. There's a warm front coming up across southern England and some rain, but nothing significant. It is down to remain windy, with winds of around 25mph to 35mph across the south-east this morning and up to 50mph in Scotland and the north-east."
The Met Office suggested Scotland and Northern Ireland would continue to face wet spells tomorrow and there would be showers in western England and Wales.
