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Storm clear-up 'to cost millions' Cold spell set to follow storms
(about 19 hours later)
The bill for damage caused by Britain's strongest storms in 17 years may run into hundreds of millions of pounds, insurers say. Gales are continuing across Scotland and northern England following one of the UK's strongest storms in 17 years which killed 11 people.
Eleven people died on Thursday as parts of the country were battered by gusts of up to 99mph. The BBC Weather Centre said strong winds were also hitting south-west England and Wales, with a UK-wide cold snap expected by Monday.
Thousands of homes remain without power, flooding warnings are in place and travellers still face disruption. Insurers say the bill for storms, involving gusts of up to 99mph, could reach hundreds of millions of pounds.
Insurance firms have drafted in extra staff to answer calls about damage to property and vehicles. Thousands of homes have no power, while several flood warnings are in place.
High winds and heavy rain blew roofs off buildings, brought down trees and walls, damaged cars and lorries and flooded homes. Winds of up to 60mph are expected across England and Wales on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The Environment Agency has four flood warnings in place for the Midlands, three in north-east England, two in north-west England and five in Wales.
Power cutsPower cuts
Now homeowners are counting the cost. Snow is expected on higher ground in Scotland and northern England, with temperatures dipping sharply across the UK.
Many will be able to claim on household buildings and contents insurance to cover repairs to property - although fences and gates are not usually covered. On Thursday and Friday, high winds and heavy rain blew roofs off buildings, brought down trees and walls, damaged cars and lorries and flooded homes.
Many homeowners will be able to claim on household buildings and contents insurance to cover repairs to property - although fences and gates are not usually covered.
Head of property insurance at the Association of British Insurers, Jane Milne, said: "This sort of event is obviously dramatic and difficult for the individuals who have suffered damage... but it's not a problem as such for the industry,"Head of property insurance at the Association of British Insurers, Jane Milne, said: "This sort of event is obviously dramatic and difficult for the individuals who have suffered damage... but it's not a problem as such for the industry,"
She said that in 1990 the bill for the severe January storms had come to £2bn.She said that in 1990 the bill for the severe January storms had come to £2bn.
Many homes are still affected by power cuts in the wake of Thursday's storms.
Central Networks said that the number of customers without power in the West Midlands remained at about 12,500.
HAVE YOUR SAY I finally got home after seeing abandoned cars, crashes, trees down and floods three-and three-quarters hours later Amanda Downey, Wigan Send us your commentsHAVE YOUR SAY I finally got home after seeing abandoned cars, crashes, trees down and floods three-and three-quarters hours later Amanda Downey, Wigan Send us your comments
Scottish Power said it was still working to restore electricity to 10,000 homes in north Wales. Many homes have been affected by electricity blackouts in the wake of the storms.
The company said it had brought in 300 extra staff but warned that not all faults would be repaired before Saturday. Scottish Power said 2,000 customers in Wales were still without power on Saturday.
The Environment Agency has 11 flood warnings in place in England and Wales - four in the Midlands, two in north-east England, two in north-west England and three in Wales. About 19,000 households in the east of England alone still had no electricity on Saturday, although EDF Energy said it had reconnected about 10,000 customers in the previous 24 hours.
Rail delays Another 5,000 homes in southern England were still without power.
An overnight clear-up of fallen trees and overturned vehicles meant there were few major problems on the roads. Central Networks said many people in the West Midlands would remain without electricity "into the weekend".
But rail and air passengers have continued to face delays and cancellations. Meanwhile, British container ship the MSC Napoli, which became stricken in the English Channel 40 miles off the Cornwall coast after its engine room flooded in stormy seas, is to be beached.
These include: The Napoli's 26 crew were all rescued by helicopter after it was stranded on Thursday.
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  • Just two GNER trains are running every hour between London Kings Cross and Newcastle, with one going on to Edinburgh
  • In Scotland there is a revised GNER timetable, connecting with First Scot Rail services
  • Stansted Express services are running with delays and some short-notice cancellations
 The 62,000-tonne vessel, which is being towed towards Portland, has been sheltering in Lyme Bay.
Thirty-four incoming BA flights to Heathrow and Gatwick airports were cancelled during the day, mostly because aircraft were not in place after Thursday's delays. It has "serious structural failure", and with winds of severe gale force 9 predicted, the decision has been taken to beach the vessel east of Sidmouth.
Meanwhile, British container ship the MSC Napoli, which became stricken in the English Channel 40 miles off the Cornwall coast after its engine room flooded in stormy seas, is being towed to Lyme Bay.
All 26 crew were rescued by helicopter from the 62,000-tonne vessel.
Susan Powell, of the BBC Weather Centre, said the storms had passed across the Low Countries, Germany and into Poland during Thursday night.
In the early hours of Saturday, there will be strong winds in Scotland, particularly in the central lowlands, with gusts up to 65mph. Winds will persist into Saturday morning.
In England and Wales, it will remain breezy, although as a band of rain passes across the country in the early hours of Saturday morning there could be gusts of up to 50mph in some areas and 65mph on the south coast.
But this will have largely died down by daybreak. There could also be thunderstorms in some places overnight.