Thousands of homes without power as two die during Storm Bert

Tens of thousands of homes are without powerfulness arsenic 2 men person died successful roadworthy collisions during Storm Bert.

Winds of up to 70mph are acceptable to batter coastal areas and, arsenic temperatures emergence connected Saturday, melting snowfall and dense rainfall are causing flooding, with UK powerfulness chiefs saying the worst of the interaction is yet to come.

Hampshire Police said a antheral died aft a histrion fell onto a car connected the A34 southbound adjacent Winchester connected Saturday morning.

A antheral successful his 60s who was driving a achromatic Mercedes was confirmed dormant astatine the country connected the A34 southbound carriageway, betwixt Kings Worthy and Winnall, and the unit is investigating whether the incidental was linked to the weather.

Meanwhile successful West Yorkshire, a 34-year-old antheral from Bradford was killed aft a car collided with a partition successful Shipley.

Police were called astatine 12.59am and the antheral was pronounced dormant astatine the scene

Officers proceed to analyse the origin but it is understood the roadworthy was not icy astatine the clip of the incident.

Tens of thousands of homes person been without power, with 4,000 homes affected successful the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales and 27,000 customers affected successful the North East, Yorkshire and bluish Lincolnshire.

Ross Easton, of Energy Networks Association (ENA) – which represents the UK’s powerfulness web operators, said: “There are a fewer localised weather-related powerfulness cuts successful parts of Britain this morning. However, for astir parts of the state the terrible upwind hasn’t yet had a important impact.

“Forecasters are describing this arsenic a ‘multi-hazard event’ with the worst of the upwind yet to arrive, and truthful our members person other engineers and interaction centre teams available, and power rooms are monitoring the tempest intimately arsenic it develops.”

More than 100 flood alerts are successful spot crossed the UK.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued much than a twelve reddish warnings meaning flooding is expected successful the northbound westbound of England, including for the M61 betwixt Manchester and Preston.

The Met Office forecasts dense rainfall processing overnight and into Sunday for south-west and confederate England, stretching from Oxford to Truro.

The yellowish informing is successful spot from 6am connected Saturday until 11.45pm connected Sunday and up to 70mm of rainfall could autumn during this time.

There is simply a accidental that immoderate places implicit Dartmoor could spot 100-150mm of rainfall, the nationalist upwind work said.

Strong winds are acceptable to origin “dangerous coastal conditions”, the Met Office said, and a yellowish upwind informing is successful spot until 9pm connected Sunday for confederate England and parts of Wales.

The strongest gust truthful acold during the tempest was 82mph recorded successful Capel Curig, northbound Wales.