Storm Eunice has hit the country today leaving 152,120 households in England and Wales without power this afternoon
A motorist is understood to have been the first person killed in England during the storm when a large tree fell and crushed their vehicle in Alton, East Hampshire.
A man in his 50s has died after debris struck a van windscreen in Merseyside during Storm Eunice and a woman in her 30s in north London died when a tree fell onto her car
Strong winds and heavy rain are now effecting the North West with trains cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes due to the fallen tree blocking lines between Manchester and Stockport.
Trains are also unable to run between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester via Northwich due to a tree blocking the line at Greenbank.
Trains are unable to run between Wigan Wallgate and Southport in both directions due to a tree blocking the line at Parbold.
An estimated 1,000 people were evacuated from The O2 in Greenwich, London, this afternoon when its roof was shredded in Friday’s storm.
England’s strongest ever recorded gust of 122mph on the Isle of Wight.
Britain’s rail industry has issued a blanket “do not travel” warning to passengers on Friday.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive at industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Storm Eunice is causing widespread damage and we’ve had to respond by closing lines to keep our customers and staff safe.
“We’re telling people not to travel today and instead to claim a fee-free refund or use their ticket over the weekend.
“We are urging people to continue to check before they travel as we clear up after the storm.”
Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry, Chair of the GM Resilience Forum said:
“Storm Eunice will see us affected by winds that are unusually high for an inland area and is likely to cause some problems. Most notably we can expect to see falling trees or debris, damage to roofs or structures under construction and very difficult driving or travelling conditions. There is also the risk of power cuts.
“I’m confident that together we are all well prepared, have the people and resources in place that we may need and a strong plan to respond to incidents if we need to. We’ve learnt from previous bad weather events – including storm Dudley from earlier this week – and are well placed to handle any arising problems.
“We’re asking people to restrict their movements to essential travel only and if they must travel during the storm to take extra care and check arrangements before they set off.
