NYUMBA ZIMEEBOMOKA BARABARA,MITI IMEANGUKA,MIUNDO MBINU IMEHARIBIKA NA PIA HALI YA HEWA HAIKUA SALAMA KWA WASAFIRI HASWA WA ANGA KUTOKANA NA UPEPO MKALI ULIOTOKEA NA UNAENDELEA KWA TAKRIBANI SIKU MBILI ZAIDI HUKO BRITISH AU BRITAIN CHEKI PICHA
Millions of travellers face disruption on Britain's roads and rail network today while others are counting the cost of damaged homes after winds of almost 100mph battered the country overnight – with forecasters warning of more still to come.
Gusts of 60mph-plus were widespread last night as an Atlantic storm brought in bad weather - and a Met Office severe weather warning for wind remains in place across the whole of the United Kingdom.
Gales of just under 100mph were measured at Capel Curig in Snowdonia, followed by High Bradfield near Sheffield with 82mph gusts and Weybourne in Norfolk with 76mph winds. Liscombe in Somerset, Avonmouth near Bristol and Northolt in north west London were also among the worst-hit areas, experiencing winds in excess of 60mph.
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The severe weather has caused travel disruption across the country, with high-sided vehicles falling victim to the high winds and trees being blown over. Pictured: An HGV lorry lays on its side after overturning in strong gales on the A1 in County Durham earlier this morning
Gales of more than 70mph caused a tree to uproot outside a house in Worsley, Greater Manchester, causing extensive damage to the property
The tree smashed roof tiles and shattered the front garden wall as it uprooted and crashed down onto the Greater Manchester home
Huge waves lash Brighton Marina this morning as forecasters warn of waves reaching 30ft in some areas thanks to the gale-force winds
Stormy waves lashed the coast at Porthcawl in South Wales this morning as forecasters warned the gales will last until at least Wednesday
Commuters faced blustery conditions as they made their way to work near London Bridge this morning as strong winds continue to hit Britain
Strong winds challenged some morning hairstyles in London Bridge today as forecasters warn the severe weather will last until Wednesday
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway was blown about as she left the ITV studios in London this morning following the show
Ms Garraway clutched her belongings tightly as she embraced the windy conditions while walking to her car from the ITV studios in London
The wet and windy weather, which will dampen the spirits of millions of pupils who have broken up from school for Easter, is set to continue until at least Wednesday. However, forecasters said the conditions could improve by Easter weekend, with 'finer and drier' weather expected
The stormy weather will continue to sweep across the country today as a low pressure system from the Atlantic moves in and poor weather is likely to last until Maundy Thursday.
Last night, gale force winds hit most parts of Britain, with western areas worst hit, and today the strong winds will feed northwards through the UK.
The jet stream across the Atlantic was so strong overnight that a seven-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Heathrow landed 70 minutes early this morning.
The high winds also caused damaged to multiple homes up and down the country, with a couple in Worsley, Greater Manchester, having a lucky escape when a 20ft tree crashed into their home.
The tree uprooted and fell to the ground at the front of their house just after midnight, but the pair managed to get out safely.
Firefighters used a chainsaw to break the tree down and make the house safe - spending more than three hours on the scene.
Simon Cording, a spokesman for the fire service, said: 'The tree had landed on the front of the house, causing damage to the house and a car next door. The couple inside luckily got out safely.
'However, they were due to go on a family holiday today and sadly won't be able to as a result of the damage. They had a lucky escape - it could have been much worse.'
It was one of a number of incidents to which Manchester firefighters were called out to overnight. In another incident, a large tree blocked a road in Stockport, while crews also had to attend flooding in Bury and in the village of Summerseat.
Conditions in the south of England were also just as bad last night, with fire crews called out to two separate incidents where scaffolding had to be secured.
Firefighters were called to flats in Gosport, Hampshire, at 1.20am to secure scaffolding that was shaking dangerously because of strong winds before attending a property in Portsmouth at 3am because of a similar issue.
Paul Temperley, crew manager, said: 'It was a potentially dangerous structure as the scaffolding boards had picked up and come loose. Some had fallen.'
Strong winds in nearby Southsea, Hampshire, also caused a large brick wall collapse onto a pavement and a road. Only a few of the bricks in the wall remained upright this morning and a hedge next to wall was also blown down during the night.
It comes as father Steve Horabin told of his lucky escape when the roof was blown off his house in high winds overnight.
Mr Horabin, from Hove, East Sussex, was putting out the recycling when the roof collapsed around him. Tonnes of heavy brickwork crashed down into his neighbour's house and onto the roof connecting the two homes.
His wife Andrea said she feared the worst and said he was 'lucky to be alive'.
She said: 'I heard a bang that was louder than thunder. 'I got up from the bedroom and went to the alleyway to see all these bricks had come down and the hallway had gone.
'I called out for my husband and was relieved to hear him call back: 'I'm OK'. 'He is lucky to be alive.One of the giant concrete slabs could have landed on his head.'
The damage also forced the neighbours out of their house.
Mr Horabin believes the pins holding the gable in place gave way after the wind made its way into the cavity wall.
He said: 'When they built these council houses they gave these out-buildings strong concrete roofs. If it had not been concrete, the whole thing would have come down on me.'
The jet stream across the Atlantic was so strong overnight, with winds of 190mph (depicted in graphic) that a seven-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Heathrow in London landed 70 minutes early this morning. Across the UK, wind speeds reached almost 100mph in some parts
The strong winds will rush across Britain for at least two more days (high winds shown hitting the UK this morning, left) before weather calms for the the Easter weekend. Forecasters predict the Easter weekend will bring better conditions, although sunny spells will be fairly limited
Passenger jets could be seen swaying in the high winds as they came in to land at Manchester Airport today following the overnight storms
One flybe plane appeared to wobble as it landed at Manchester Airport in ferocious gales which have caused widespread damage to the UK
Conditions were no doubt turbulent aboard passenger planes arriving in and out of the UK today with severe gales affecting most of Britain
A Virgin Atlantic flight arriving into Manchester Airport today appeared shrouded by fumes as it finally landed safely on the ground
Waves crash against the coast of Blackpool in Lancashire as strong gale force winds continue to batter Britain. Forecasters warned the wet and windy weather would last until at least Wednesday, and although it remains uncertain from then onwards, conditions should calm down
Gusts of 60mph-plus were widespread last night as an Atlantic storm brought in bad weather and a Met Office severe weather warning for wind remains in place across the whole of the United Kingdom. Pictured: Waves crash over the coast of Blackpool in Lancashire this morning
A 20ft tree crashed into a property in Worsley, Greater Manchester, overnight as severe gales battered the country causing widespread damage
The tree smashed the the rear window of one vehicle parked on a driveway outside the property when he uprooted and fell in high winds
Elsewhere, more than 50 firefighters battled severe gales to extinguish a blaze hundreds of miles away at a thatched cottage in Chard, Somerset.
The centuries-old cottage was wrecked when the thatched roof collapsed at the height of the blaze and fire chiefs said the windy conditions made the task of putting out the fire 'much more difficult'.
Whenever they made headway, the winds whipped the blaze and sent sparks scattering on to different areas of the thatched roof.
They have now been at the scene for more than 14 hours but are making 'slow progress due to the unsafe structure and weather conditions.'
No-one was hurt in the blaze, which is being investigated, but the cost of the damage will reportedly run into six figures.
The extreme conditions have also caused widespread disruption across Britain's roads and rail network, causing misery for millions trying to get away for an Easter break, with fallen trees forcing dozens of carriageways and train lines to be shut.
Cheshire Police tweeted overnight that high winds and rain had been 'creating chaos on the roads'.
The Dartford Crossing has been closed to all vehicles due to strong winds, the Highways Agency said.
The QE2 bridge on the M25 is also closed from junction 31 at West Thurrock to junction 1A at Swanscombe, with rush hour traffic being diverted through the Dartford Tunnel. The Ouse Bridge on the M62 and the Severn Bridge on the M48 are also closed to high-sided vehicles.
In Prime Minister David Cameron's constituency of Witney, Oxon, the A415 Ducklington Lane is closed both ways due to a fallen tree between the A40 for Witney town centre and Moreton Lane.
An overturned car has also forced the closure of the A27 near the A285 junction in Sussex, and commuter traffic heading for the M4 junction 14 found the A338 access road blocked by a tree at Hungerford, Berkshire.
At Adderbury in Oxfordshire, the A4260 is impassable because of a fallen tree near Berry Hill Road. And the A2 is closed near Maidstone because of another tree down near Keycol Hill.
There was also rush hour chaos this morning after a crash involving several vehicles partly blocked the M25 clockwise between junction 29 near Romford and junction 30 at Tilbury. And a crash on the M5 near Worcester also caused lengthy delays.
A motorcyclist is also feared to have been seriously hurt after colliding with a tree which fell in the gales on the A4095 in Oxfordshire.
Hovertravel ferry service between Southsea and Ryde on the Isle of Wight have also been suspended until further notice due to the severe conditions.
And there are delays of up to an hour on P&O Ferries between Dover and Calais as the English Channel continues to be lashed by the stormy conditions.
On the rail network, Chiltern Railways said services between Aylesbury and London Marylebone are suspended because of a tree on the line between Moor Park and Amersham.
Trains are also running at reduced speed in the north west, with delays of up to an hour in the Warrington Bank Quay and Oxenholme Lake District area and in Carnforth, near Lancaster.
A tree on the line led to delays between Exeter St Davids in Devon and Taunton in Somerset earlier, while another fallen tree has caused hold-ups between Salisbury in Wiltshire and Romsey in Hampshire.
In East Anglia, overhead wire problems between Diss and Stowmarket have been causing delays of up to an hour to services between Norwich and Ipswich.
And a signalling problem has led to delays to trains between Brighton and Haywards Heath in Sussex.
This animation from Magic Seaweed shows how gale force winds will sweep across the country until at least 6pm on Wednesday. Based on the Beaufort wind force scale, red on the graphic indicates winds measuring nine on the scale (gale force), orange is seven and eight on the scale (near gale and gale respectively), while yellow indicates level five (strong breeze) and green colouring is a level four (moderate breeze)
A wall collapsed in Southsea, Hampshire, overnight after strong winds hit the region, leaving bricks and rubble strewn across the pavement
The brick wall and shrubbery completely collapsed in the severe gales in Southsea, Hampshire, overnight causing misery for one homeowner
Workers attempt to move a tree which has fallen onto a bridge outside the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Bute park Cardiff today
Britons woke up to storm-damage this morning including fallen fences and trees as the Atlantic storm hit the UK overnight, bringing gales
Elsewhere, the stormy weather caused a tug boat and its crew to get into difficulty off the Esso refinery marine terminal at Fawley in Hampshire.
One person was seen jumping off the Asterix tug boat and into the water, before being taken to shore to be treated for hypothermia.
However, another man was left stranded on the sinking vessel and an employee at the Fawley refinery jumped into the water to help rescue him.
A Cowes lifeboat spokesman said: 'A Fawley emergency employee who was watching the capsized vessel from the pontoon then just glimpsed an arm in a small pocket of air behind a window.
'Without hesitation, the employee leapt into the water, smashed the window and extracted the trapped crew member.'
A coastguard said that all crew involved in the incident, at around 7.15pm yesterday, had been accounted for. The boat has since been recovered and returned to the marine dock.
Lifeboat crews were also called out in Anglesey in the early hours amid fears someone may have been missing after a car overturned on to a beach.
The lifeboat from Beaumaris in Anglesey was launched at 11.20pm last night to search the water and coastline near Caernarfon Castle after the car veered off the road. Two occupants had been found in the vehicle but it was feared a third was missing.
However, the search was halted hours later after police said they had accounted for everyone.
Elsewhere, a promotional event for the new Thunderbirds TV show had to be cancelled on the River Thames in London today due to safety concerns over the weather.
Parts of north Wales, the Bristol Channel and East Anglia saw winds of up to 70mph overnight and the gales will continue for some parts.
'While the winds should gradually ease, it's going to stay a pretty windy day,' said Met Office forecaster Kirk Waite.
'There could potentially be some quite difficult conditions throughout the course of the morning for those getting up and heading out to work.
'The north west of the country is going to see some quite blustery showers moving in - it's probably going to see the strongest winds today.'
While there may be a slight let-up, Mr Waite said the best we can expect are 'some sunny spells'.
Northern parts of Scotland are subject to an ice warning until mid-morning, bringing with it a risk of snow on higher ground and, Mr Waite said, some 'potentially treacherous conditions on northern routes'.
While strong winds have died down after a blustery night for Northern Ireland the day ahead is set to be a wet one with scattered showers for much of the day.
Looking forward to Easter, Mr Waite said the weekend will be breezy to begin with but things should 'gradually quieten down'.
Nicola Willis, a Met Office forecaster, agreed that the conditions should improve by Easter weekend, with 'finer and drier' weather expected by Sunday.
She said: 'It is a typical low pressure system which will bring strong winds and gales as well, particularly in the west.
'We will see north-westerly air flow with conditions developing back into showers and clear spells today but winds will stay strong so we could see further gale force gusts.'
A tree was uprooted on Addison Road in the Brierley Hill area of the West Midlands overnight, leaving one pavement completely blocked
Residents in Brierley Hill in the West Midlands awoke to a giant tree on their front lawn after it was blown over in last night's severe gales
The tree was cordoned off with police tape today after it was left strewn across the road and pavement when it was uprooted in the night
Temperatures are expected to plummet to 6C in the north of the country, with the average temperature for this time of year usually about 10C in the north and 12C in the south.
Ms Willis said the strong winds and heavy rain would begin to ease on Wednesday and she had hopes of more promising conditions for Good Friday.
She added: 'England and Wales will be drier with sunshine.
'It will be a little bit on the cool side but much less windy and there should be dry and fine weather towards the end of Easter week.'
Charles Powell, another Met Office forecaster, added that while conditions will be better over the weekend, the first decent bout of sunshine will not arrive until Easter Monday.
He said: 'It looks like the rain will by and large clear at the weekend, but it will be quite cloudy. It looks like a dry weekend with winds, but it probably won't be bright.
'People can head outside and do things and travel around a bit more safely.
'But I'm not going to promise a huge amount of sunshine because I think there will be quite a lot of cloud. But it will be quite a marked change from this weekend.'
This week's grim forecast comes amid concerns that Easter weekend could bring misery to millions of travellers up and down the country thanks to a host of roadworks and rail engineering works.
As many as 16 million motorists are set to take to the roads over Easter, with four million travelling on Good Friday and 4.5 million on Easter Sunday.
Disruption to the train lines coupled with the gloomy weather forecast means Britain's roads will be even busier than usual for the Easter break.
The AA predicts Thursday will be the busiest day of the year so far on the roads as drivers try to beat the rush ahead of the Easter getaway.
Mark Spowage, an AA spokesman, said: 'Despite a rather unsettled forecast, we expect more people to get away this Easter, as it falls quite early this year.
'There will be a lot of pressure on the main getaway routes, particularly heading down to South-west England.
'Do the essential checks on your car before heading off, paying particular attention to the tyres and adjusting the pressures for a heavy load, if required.'
The lifeboat crew from Cowes RNLI were called to the Esso refinery marine terminal at Fawley, Hampshire, last night after a man jumped into the water to help rescue a crew member from a commercial tug which capsized in strong winds. All crew were brought back to safety
One crew member was seen jumping off the Asterix tug boat and into the water, before being taken to shore to be treated for hypothermia. However, another man was left stranded on the sinking vessel and an employee at the Fawley refinery jumped into the water to help rescue him
A small Red Funnel car ferry became involved in a search for a sailor after tug boat Asterix capsized off the coast of Southampton last night
One crew member jumped from the Asterix as it got into difficulty, while another was rescued from the vessel by a worker from Fawley marine terminal in Hampshire. All crew were later confirmed as accounted for by police, following the dramatic incident at about 7.20pm yesterday
Pete Williams, an RAC spokesman, added: 'The first spring bank holiday of the year traditionally heralds the start of busier weekends on the nation's roads.
'This Easter is set to be a hectic one with 16 million of us getting behind the wheel for an Easter break, but at least we will benefit from the longer days and lighter evenings to complete our journeys.'
Despite the surge in traffic, the Highways Agency (which becomes Highways England on April 1) is maintaining 55 sets of roadworks over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Parts of the M1, M3, M4 and M6 are likely to be hit by lane closures or speed restrictions.
However, the agency said that 62 other roadworks – covering 550 miles of Britain's road network - would be temporarily lifted to ease the congestion.
The increase in the number of people planning to travel by car is thought to have been in part triggered by a large-scale shutdown of the rail network.
A string of engineering projects are expected to cause delays and overcrowding on some of Britain's busiest lines.
Three major rail firms - West Coast, First Great Western and Greater Anglia – have scheduled engineering works, forcing passengers to make diversions on slower trains or increase their journey time with rail replacement coaches.
Network Rail said engineering works were planned over the Easter holidays because passenger numbers fell by 20 per cent.
This map shows the traffic hotspots, rail closures and delays that are expected to cause travel misery for millions over the Easter weekend
More than 16 million drivers are expected to take to the roads this week, with traffic jams already proving a problem on the M5 yesterday
Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: 'The real problem we face is a massive backlog on the rail renewals and maintenance side.'
In a move that has been described by experts as 'adding insult to injury', Virgin Trains and London Midland have cancelled advanced cheap fares forcing passengers to purchase more expensive off-peak tickets.
Both Virgin and London Midland said they cannot offer advance fares as the tickets would not be valid with other operators and replacement services.
Terry Oliver, London Midland's head of West Coast services, has even encouraged passengers to avoid travelling this Easter.
He said: 'London Midland will be running rail-replacement bus services over the Bank Holiday weekend, but journeys will involve changes and will take much longer than normal.'
As well as travel chaos across Britain, there may also be congestion at the UK's airports with millions expected to jet abroad in the search for some spring sunshine.
Figures from Gatwick Airport show that more than two million passengers are expected to fly off for foreign holidays over the Easter break - a four per cent rise on the same period last year.
Almost 50,000 more people than last year have bought air tickets for travel over the Easter weekend with Barcelona, Dublin and Malaga being the most popular destinations.
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