The bad weather returned to Britain with a vengence today with gusts of up to 76mph forecast throughout the country.
Winds of up to 87mph were recorded at Capel Curig in Wales at 2am following a brief respite from storms which resulted in two deaths yesterday.
North Yorkshire Police urged motorists last night to make only essential journeys as the whole county experienced “severe” weather and delays were expected on the M25 because of the closure of the Dartford Crossing’s QEII Bridge.
The Met Office issued yellow warnings of wind for Strathclyde, south west Scotland and Lothian Borders, Northern Ireland, Wales and north west England.
London Fire Brigade attended a string of wind-related incidents across the capital overnight, when gusts blew a wind turbine in Barking and scaffolding in Tavistock Square into “precarious positions”.
Just after midnight, firefighters were called to reports of a tree that had tumbled on to a house in strong winds in Chingford, east London, trapping four people inside.
North Yorkshire Police said it received a “high number” of weather-related calls last night.
The A66 was closed after a tree fell on to the A19 and several lorries were blown over in high winds, a spokesman said.
The Highways Agency said the Severn Crossing between England and Wales was closed to high-sided vehicles and motorcycles in both directions due to strong winds.
It also warned anyone planning to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex of possible delays as winds of 60mph were predicted for the area.
Humberside Police urged motorists to take care after a number of trees were brought down overnight.
A spokesman said trees have been blocking roads or causing obstructions in areas of Grimsby, Hull, Bridlington, Driffield and Snaith.
The Humber Bridge and the M62 over the Ouse Bridge, near Howden, were both closed to high-sided vehicles.
North Yorkshire Fire Service said crews were called out to localised flooding at a small number of homes in the Skipton area and firefighters used a boat to help rescue a barge which was in danger of overturning when it was caught in moorings on the River Ouse in central York.
The brigade said a lorry driver was taken to hospital when an HGV overturned on the A1 at Leeming and crews were called to two incidents of cars trapped in flood water - one in Acaster Malbis, near York, and the other at Embsay, near Skipton.
The high winds led to a series of disruptions to rush-hour train services across the country.
In Scotland, buses replaced trains between Paisley Gilmour Street and Gourock/ Wemyss Bay, among other areas.
And in England trees on the line near Huntingdon led to delays on services between London and Peterborough, while a line obstruction in Kent caused delays of up to 60 minutes between Paddock West and Strood.
Overhead wire problems also caused rail disruption between Handforth and Cheadle Hulme near Manchester and buses replaced trains between Wilmslow and Cheadle Hulme.
Cheshire Police said officers had attended more than 15 incidents relating to fallen trees, branches, and debris in the road since 6am today.
Chiltern Railways had to contend with a number of trees on the line between London and Aylesbury.
A tree on the line at Porchester in Hampshire led to train delays in the area, while another fallen tree at Wood End in the West Midlands caused delays to London Midland services between Stratford-upon-Avon and Shirley.
Further north, overhead wire problems caused disruption between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake District. There were delays of up to 45 minutes between Carlisle and Lancaster.
In Cambridgeshire, police said more than 20 trees were brought down by strong winds overnight.
Essex Fire Service said it had been called out to dozens of incidents, including fallen cables and trees and dislodged television aerials.
Norfolk County Council said it dealt with 200 incidents on the county’s roads overnight as gales and rain brought trees, branches and a power line down, and blew debris on to roads and pavements.
Seven two-man road gangs were in action throughout the night and responded to around 120 incidents reported by the police.
High winds brought down trees and power lines across the South West, blocking several roads.
Power lines blocked a bus route in Plymouth after they were brought down between Little Comfort and Treburley.
In Gloucestershire fire crews were called out after a tree caught fire in Twyning due to collapsed power cables. Police also attended the scene and closed the road while power engineers dealt with the situation.
Around 1,000 homes in the Salisbury area of Wiltshire are without electricity after power cables came down due to strong winds, Southern Electric said.
PA