Two killed as winter storm batters UK
Tuesday, 03 January, 2012 10:02:55 PM
Storms have caused damage across many parts of the UK, with gusts of up to 100mph in Scotland.
A man in his 50s was killed in Kent when a tree collapsed on his van, and a crewman died after being injured on board a tanker in the English Channel.
A bus driver in Surrey suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on his bus.
Thousands of people are still without power in parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings which remain in place for many regions.
Around the UK on Tuesday, trees fell on to railway tracks and power lines, lorries blew over on busy roads and flood warnings were issued after rivers swelled.
The U.K. meteorological office reported extremely high winds in several parts of the country, leading to power outages, seaport closures and hazardous driving conditions. Winds were particularly high in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with Edinburgh reporting gusts of 102 mph (164 kph.)
High seas and force 10 winds caused the Port of Dover to close, but it has now reopened, while gusts of wind damaged the roof of a stand at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey.
Figures published by the Met Office reported wind speeds of 106mph at Great Dun Fell in the Cumbrian north Pennines, and 102mph in Edinburgh.
Travel has also been disrupted, with no East Coast services currently operating within Scotland, and East Coast Main Line trains between London and Scotland going no further north than Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Buses replaced trains on some services between London and Harrogate and Hull.
Also in Scotland, the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow was shut by two overturned lorries, Glasgow Airport warned that cancellations were expected because of high winds and Edinburgh Airport did not accepting incoming flights.
A number of roads were closed in Northern Ireland, including in Belfast and Londonderry, while the Foyle Bridge in Derry was closed. Some train, bus and ferry services have also been affected.
High winds in England forced the closure of the QEII Bridge on the M25 between Essex and Kent for much of the day, while the Tamar Bridge in the South West has been closed to high-sided vehicles.
In Wales, the A40 between Carmarthenshire and Powys and the A478 between Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion were among roads affected, while the Britannia Bridge at Anglesey and the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire have been closed to high-sided vehicles.
Also in the news
BCCI suspends 5 cricketers caught in match-fixing sting
Five cricketers caught in a sting operation by a news channel have been suspended from all forms of cricket until an inquiry into the matter is completed, Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Rajiv Shukla said today.
A tribute to Bollywood's power moms
The mother's character was a favourite fixture in Bollywood films until recently. Mehboob Khan's masterpiece Mother India, was among the first films that glorified a mom on screen without making her a martyr ( Nargis).
Spend more on education than food: Mayor Chaudhry
Cllr Aslam says, “If our children couldn’t get higher education the economic conditions of the community would further deteriorate and unemployment increase.”
Lycamobile targets 20m customers in 2012
Group Customer Marketing Director Chris Liveing says,"We also like to expand our services to South Asia as a large number of South Asian communities settled here phone to their near dears."