Thousands lose power as gales hit UK
Gale-force winds and rain have damaged properties and felled trees across the British Isles
Thousands of homes are without power as gale-force winds and rain batter the western UK.
Around 3,500 homes in Cumbria and Lancashire and some 1,000 in Northern Ireland are without electricity.A search for a sailor who fell overboard from a small cargo ship off North Lincolnshire was called off in "very poor" conditions.
Elsewhere, a man was injured after a tree fell on his car in Warwickshire, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Multiple flood warnings are in place in Scotland, Wales and south-west England and an amber warning of severe gales has been issued by the Met Office.
Gusts could reach about 90mph in exposed areas, with western Scotland and the Western Isles most affected.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency flood warnings, indicating "flooding is expected, immediate action required", are in force for a large part of the west and centre of the country from Dumfries and Galloway to Tayside.
There are more than 20 Environment Agency flood warnings in place, with homeowners in Wales, south-west England and north-west England urged to take action.
In other developments:
- Northern Ireland Electricity says it expects more damage to power lines during the night
- Officials warn of a possible tidal surge affecting Gourock, Dumbarton, Renfrew and Oban
- Two South West Trains services have hit trees on railway lines in southern England
Mike Puplett from Humber Coastguard told the BBC the man had been working on the deck during the storm.
"We understand that he got entangled in them wires and was pulled overboard into the River Trent and disappeared almost immediately from view," he said.
Repairs have taken place to electricity lines in Northern Ireland
The storm battered parts of Northern Ireland, bringing down trees and damaging houses
The Sheffield Wednesday vs Wigan Athletic match was abandoned
Heavy hail forced a delay in the match at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke
Electricity North West said 3,500 homes in parts of Cumbria and Lancashire are without power due to wind damage to overhead lines.
The worst damage is in west Cumbria around Seaton and Workington.
In Northern Ireland 7,000 electricity customers lost power but by 23:00 GMT 6,000 had been reconnected.
Northern Ireland Electricity spokeswoman Julia Carson said:
"Our emergency crews will continue to work where it is safe to do so."However, we are expecting the winds to peak in the early hours of the morning causing additional disruption to electricity supplies."
Power has been restored to almost 900 homes in Aberdulais in the Neath Valley after a main electrical cable came down.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said the incident in Warwickshire happened on the A45 between Stretton-on-Dunsmore and Rugby at about 18:00 GMT on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman said: "The large tree had fallen onto a car, travelling on the A45, and had smashed the windscreen. The driver and the rear seat passenger, both men in their 40s and 50s, were said to be 'walking wounded' and had suffered minor injuries.
"The front seat passenger, a 19-year-old man, sustained face and head injuries as well as suspected chest injuries.
"The man was taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. The driver of the car was also taken to the same hospital as a precaution."
The Championship football match between Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan at Hillsborough was abandoned early in the second-half due to a waterlogged pitch.
The was also a delay in the Capital One Cup quarter-final between Stoke City and Manchester United because of a heavy hail storm.
end quote from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25440928
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