Five thousand homes left without power and commuters hit by road and rail chaos as Storm Imogen batters the South with 100mph winds and torrential rain
Storm batters South with 96mph winds while 280 flood alerts and warnings in place for England and Wales
Rail services in Wales and southern England facing speed restrictions and Gatwick Airport warns of delays
Almost 5,000 homes in the South West, Midlands and Wales have been left without power due to high winds
Storm Imogen expected to track eastwards along south coast throughout today and also bring 1.5in of rain
Nearly 5,000 homes were left without power today as Storm Imogen lashed Britain with hurricane-force winds that reached almost 100mph.
The storm has battered the South and gave many commuters a horrendous journey to work as trains were disrupted and ferries cancelled.
There are more than 280 flood alerts and warnings in place for England and Wales with more than 1.5in of rain expected to fall today.
Rail services in Wales and southern England are facing speed restrictions and cancellations, and London Gatwick Airport warned of delays.
And the Severn Bridge was closed eastbound and restricted westbound while ferry services from ferry companies Brittany and P&O were cancelled.
Almost 5,000 homes in the South West, Midlands and Wales have been left without power due to high winds.
Engineers have been working through the night to restore affected services, Western Power Distribution said.
Speed restrictions at various times will be imposed on routes in the South until at least 5pm due to high winds, according to National Rail Enquiries.
Affected networks include Arriva Trains Wales, Great Western Railway, Southern, South West Trains, Gatwick Express, Southeastern and Thameslink.
A Network Rail spokesman said inspections were ongoing although no damage or blockages on the network had been found.
Storm Imogen is expected to track eastwards along the south coast throughout today and threaten ferry services from the Port of Dover.
Extreme weather conditions late on Sunday forced the port to close for around two hours into this morning, disrupting services.
The authority tweeted: ‘Port of Dover is monitoring weather situation. Safety is primary concern and we apologise for any inconvenience to travellers.’
Today, there is an amber ‘be prepared’ wind warning for South Wales and England’s south coast with large waves expected in coastal areas.
The Met Office originally warned of winds up to 80mph, but overnight gusts of 96mph at the Needles off the Isle of Wight were recorded.
Forecaster Emma Sillitoe said the winds would be some of the worst so far this winter, not far off gusts of 105mph recorded last month in Shetland.
She said: ‘We are looking to see gusts of 60-70mph quite widely, hitting the South West [and] moving across southern central parts towards London.
‘It is going to be picking up towards 70mph around lunchtime in London.
‘We have seen 96mph at the Needles off the Isle of Wight and gusts to 80mph are likely, especially along northern coasts of Devon and Cornwall.’
There is also a warning for 1.6in of rain over high ground in Western Scotland and Wales and the moors of South West England today.
And the Met Office warned there was potential for an inch of snow in northern Scotland overnight into today.
Highways England warned motorists in the South to check forecasts and road conditions before travelling due to strong winds forecast up to 6pm.
The A35 running along the south coast between Devon and Hampshire has been closed in both directions near Dorchester due to flooding.
And the agency has issued a severe weather alert for ‘high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes, which are advised to take extra care’.
Traffic crossing between England and Wales is being diverted in both directions via the M4 following restrictions on the M48.
So far #StormImogen has brought a max gust of 96mph to Needles Old Battery. Warnings are still in force https://t.co/BEQkezhE3z
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 8, 2016
Spokesman Jon Allen urged drivers to ‘check their routes and change their journeys accordingly’ before setting off today.
Meanwhile those watching waves in coastal areas were warned to keep a safe distance, as 45ft swells in the Channel could create dramatic scenes.
MeteoGroup forecaster Mario Cuellar said: 'It is going to be very stormy on Monday with high winds and rain, especially in the south west and Wales.
'The storm will spread eastwards during the day and could bring disruption to travel, especially Channel ferries in the late afternoon.
'This stormy weather will clear later in the week but the forthcoming weekend also looks unsettled with a low weather front coming in over the north.'
Tomorrow and Wednesday should be drier, quieter and colder days for many before more wind and rain follows later in the week.
Storm Imogen follows Storm Henry, which ran close to the north of Scotland through Monday into Tuesday of last week.
On Saturday in Cornwall the heavy rain and high winds caused flooding problems, as five vehicles became stuck in flood waters.
Sporting fixtures were also postponed with Exeter v Oxford and Bristol Rovers v Wimbledon in League Two called off due to waterlogged pitches.
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