Wales hit by record wind speed as Thames is set to rise to highest level in 60 years
Strong winds continued to batter the UK on Wednesday, causing disruption to road and rail networks and leaving 21,000 people without power.
A top wind speed of 105mph was recorded in Aberdaron in north-west Wales, and Western Power Distribution said electricity supplies had been hit in south Wales, the south-west and the west Midlands. Gusts of 92mph have already been recorded in the Mumbles on the Gower Peninsula, south-west Wales, the weather forecaster Meteogroup said.
Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol was briefly closed for the first time in its history, and the storms have also brought a number of trees down. Coastal areas could also be battered by large waves, the Met Office said.
The Environment Agency warned that the Thames was set to rise in places to its highest levels in more than 60 years, causing severe disruption to communities in Windsor, Maidenhead and Surrey.
Fourteen severe flood warnings – danger to life – remain in force for the Thames valley area and two in the Somerset Levels. There are a further 139 of the less serious flood warnings in place.
The AA said the river Severn in Worcestershire has reached its highest ever level.
The Met Office has forecast 70mm (2.75 inches) of rain by Friday in the already-sodden West Country – more than the region would normally get in the whole of February – with south Wales, western Scotland, Northern Ireland and other parts of southern England also expected to bear the brunt of the deluge.
Around 50 homes flooded overnight in the Thames valley, bringing the total number of homes flooded across the country since late January to 1,135. Some 5,800 properties have flooded since early December when the series of winter storms began.
The west coast main line will close between Preston and Lancaster for a couple of hours at around 7pm today because of high winds, Network Rail said.
From 4pm there were speed restrictions in place on various rail routes in north-west England, with passengers told to expect journey times to be extended by up to 60 minutes.
There were no East Midlands trains running between Manchester Oxford Road and Liverpool Lime Street.
The AA said that by early afternoon it had attended 29 flood-stricken vehicles, with the number since last Friday reaching 680.
During prime minister's questions, David Cameron came under fire for promising money would be "no object" in the coalition's drive to help families and businesses cope with the extreme weather and refused to say he would halt job losses at the Environment Agency or commit any new cash for major flood defence schemes.
The prime minister announced grants of £5,000 for households to improve their flood protection and 100% relief on business rates for three months for firms that are affected by flooding.
There will also be a £10m aid fund for farmers whose fields are under water. But pressed on cuts at the Environment Agency, Cameron three times declined to say he would stop about 500 jobs in flood risk management being lost.
Across the Irish Sea, hurricane-force winds have left 100,000 homes and businesses without power this afternoon in the Republic. The Electricity Supply Board said it was the worst mass power outage to hit Ireland for more than 15 years.