Storm Gerrit has left thousands without power after it caused havoc across England and Scotland, while more than 100 homes were wrecked by a ‘tornado’.
‘Freak winds’ tore apart roofs in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, overnight as the storm brought gusts of more than 80mph to northern parts of the country.
The weather system has also created chaos on Britain’s transport system, with fallen trees and flooding blocking roads and railway lines, causing widespread train cancellations as people try to travel home after Christmas.
There were also flight cancellations at Heathrow after blustery conditions forced air traffic control to put restrictions in place, affecting routes between UK airports as well as European destinations.
This morning there are dozens of flood alerts and warnings in England as a result of heavy rainfall, a day after cascading water forced residents in Cupar in Scotland to flee their homes.
Roofs in Millbrook, Stalybridge, were torn apart after reports of a ‘tornado’ tearing through the town last night
The freak winds caused severe damage to homes, leaving debris strewn throughout the streets
This car in Stalybridge was left crushed after a large tree fell on it amid high winds from Storm Gerrit
Trees in the area were felled by the strong winds as Storm Gerrit battered Britain last night
Some scaffolding collapsed near a Wilko store in the town centre of Swanley in Kent, on Wednesday after being battered by powerful winds generated by Storm Gerri
Emergency services rescued some people from their homes in Cupar amid rising floodwaters, using specialist boats brought in from Perth and Stirling
There are dozens of flood warnings and alerts in place across England this morning as a result of heavy rainfall
While the worst of the storm appears to have passed, this morning Britons will wake up and feel the effects of the heavy rain and high winds it brought with it after ploughed in from the Atlantic.
In Stalybridge and Carrbrook, Greater Manchester, dozens of homes were damaged by ‘freak winds’ as the storm tore through the area.
Dramatic photos show walls blown over, roofs tore apart and windows blown out as it left a trail of destruction in the area.
Parts of Scotland experienced significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.
High winds, along with heavy rain and snow, damaged electricity networks across Scotland as fallen trees, branches and other debris brought down power lines.
A yellow warning for wind and snow was in place until 6am on Thursday in the Shetlands.
SSEN said power had been restored to 25,000 properties with a further 16,000 homes entering Thursday without power.
An SSEN spokesman said: ‘The widespread extent of the damage, the ongoing adverse weather conditions, and the challenges accessing faults due to fallen trees, flooding and road closures, together mean that full network restoration will take time.’
‘Some customers in rural areas may be off supply for up to 48 hours.
Scotland Police confirmed the A9 has fully reopened in both directions and is ‘passable with care’ after snow blocked the road between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie.
The main A85 trunk road at Glen Ogle was down to single carriage way with the southbound lane closed due to heavy snow and HGV’s stuck on the steep incline
A train arrives into Saltcoats Station along the sea front in Scotland as high waves batters the sides of the track during Storm Gerrit
Vehicles stuck in floodwater in Old Kilpatrick, Scotland, on Wednesday as Storm Gerrit hits Britain
Crews work to clear flood waters from the M9 at Stirling on Wednesday as Storm Gerrit rages
Inspector Michelle Burns, from Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said: ‘Conditions for travel in the affected areas may be hazardous and extra caution should be exercised by all road users.
The A90 northbound has also reopened after earlier closures, but southbound lanes at Lochlands, Forfar remain off-limits with local diversions in place.
Scotland’s rail network experienced widespread cancellations and delays with a train driver’s cabin hit by a falling tree.
Aslef Scotland confirmed the driver was uninjured and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said passengers were also unharmed.
ScotRail suspended multiple train services until further notice, impacting trains travelling while other lines saw their timetables shelved until ‘a full inspection can be carried out’ on the railway network.
Train operator LNER, which runs services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line, also advised customers not to travel due to the weather.
Customers stranded by the disruption were told to book hotels which they can claim back.
Avanti West Coast, which operates services on the West Coast Main Line, said its route to Scotland is impassable with all services to and from London terminating at Preston.
Traffic battles through blizzards on the A9 near Aviemore as Storm Gerrit hits Scotland on Wednesday
The flooded railway line at Bowling station in Scotland on Wednesday as Storm Gerrit causes chaos
A ScotRail InterCity 125 locomotive was severly damaged by a falling tree on Wednesday caused by Storm Gerrit, as it was en route from Dundee to Glasgow
The driver is reportedly unharmed following the horrendous incident
Those with pre-booked tickets for travel between Preston and either Edinburgh or Glasgow can board trains on Thursday or Friday, the operator said.
Heathrow Airport cancelled 18 flights due to air traffic control restrictions, understood to be return routes from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester, and to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris.
Storm Gerrit also brought plenty of rain gauge at the Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District recording 80mm – nearly half the usual 178mm monthly rainfall for December, the Met Office said.
The fastest recorded wind gusts so far are 86mph at Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland, 84mph at Fair Isle and 83mph at Capel Curig, north Wales, the forecaster said.