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Three die as winds batter country

A football fan has been killed by flying debris and two people crushed in their car amid severe gale-force winds.
The 40-year-old Everton fan was hit outside Leicester City's ground, and the couple died when a tree blew on to their car in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Several other people were injured as winds of more than 70mph swept across the Midlands and North.

Severe disruption was caused to traffic and about 40,000 homes lost electricity after power lines blew over.

Broken legs

Three people were taken to hospital in Liverpool after being hit by a sign blown off a market stall.

A mother and 12-year-old daughter in Staffordshire were taken to hospital with broken legs after a wall fell on their car in Lichfield shopping centre.


The roof of a building blew off in Birmingham
Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service said a 54-year-old man had been taken to Hereford County Hospital after being "flipped" into the road while trying to remove stray debris.

Two people were cut free from a vehicle in Hopwood, Worcestershire, after a tree fell on them.

Another person was taken to hospital after being rescued from a car near Kidderminster; and two people were taken to hospital for a check-up after a tree fell onto their car near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire.

Two people were slightly injured at the Third Division match between Northampton Town and Huddersfield Town after the winds sent an advertising hoarding crashing into the crowd.

Station roof off

The power firm Aquila said 20,000 homes lost electricity in the West Midlands, and many people would not get it back until Monday because of the scale of the damage.

About 20,000 homes were also without power in the East Midlands.


Hundreds of trees were blown down
In the Midlands two lorries toppled over on the M6 northbound between junctions 12 and 13, causing five-mile tailbacks.

Train services were severely disrupted at Birmingham New Street Station after power cables, lampposts and trees fell onto the tracks.

Train travel was also hit in the East Midlands when part of Nottingham railway station roof was blown off.

Vulnerable bridges were closed to high-sided vehicles across Britain.

Racing abandoned

Stoke City's match against West Bromwich Albion and Burnley's game against Wimbledon were among other sporting fixtures called off.

Racing at Uttoxeter was also abandoned because of the wind, which lifted a marquee off the ground.

A number of flights attempting to land at Birmingham International Airport were diverted, and the Skyrail train service to the airport was closed.

The Met Office in Birmingham said the winds should ease overnight.