A man was killed after a tree fell on his car in Gloucestershire as Storm Henk brought winds of more than 90mph, causing havoc in parts of southern Britain.
The man, who was in his 50s and from the Bath area, was fatally injured in the accident on Tetbury Road, between Tetbury and Cirencester, at about 3.15pm on Tuesday.
Emergency services, including an air ambulance, attended. His next of kin and the coroner have been informed.
The road remained closed on Wednesday as recovery and investigation work continued and motorists have been asked to find alternative routes.
By 10.30am on Wednesday there were more than 600 flood warnings and alerts in England and Wales. There were one severe flood warning, meaning there is a danger to life, covering the River Ritec in Tenby, south-west Wales.
Natural Resources Wales said: “Flooding has become very extensive within Kiln [holiday] Park and there is the risk of severe disruption to the community, with significant risk to life.”
In Northamptonshire the Billing Aquadome holiday park was evacuated, though on Wednesday the warning level on the River Nene was reduced from severe.
There was also flooding in Worcester, where some homes and businesses close to the River Severn were affected as the river rose. Bridges and roads in the city were closed.
Great Western Railway said flooding had blocked several parts of its network. Flooding near Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, closed all lines between Swindon and Bristol Parkway.
Services between London Paddington and south Wales were being diverted, adding about 40 minutes to journey times. Flooding also blocked the route between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall, and some lines were closed between Totnes and Plymouth in Devon.
Greater Anglia said train services were experiencing severe disruption in the late hours of Tuesday night with multiple incidents affecting services across the network. It said: “Services on other lines may be cancelled, delayed, or revised. Greater Anglia and Network Rail will be working overnight to restore services and minimise disruption on Wednesday 3 January.”
There were severe delays in Norwich, Colchester, Peterborough and Cambridge.
A joint statement from South Western Railway and Network Rail on X said on Wednesday morning that disruptions linked to the storm would continue throughout the day.
“We are very sorry for the disruption customers experienced yesterday, due to the serious and widespread impact of Storm Henk,” it said. “The severe winds led to trees on the line damaging or delaying trains in multiple locations across our network.”
Great Northern Rail said on X that services would be delayed from Cambridge to Ely and King’s Lynn until 10am on Wednesday as they worked to repair damaged overhead wires and remove a damaged train.
Southern Rail also said delays were expected, with repairs continuing between Uckfield, Buxted and Crowborough. Thameslink said services were back to normal after disruptions on Tuesday.
Lincolnshire fire and rescue said it had received 140 flood-related calls in the past 24 hours, mostly in the south of the county.
Leicestershire police said a large number of homes had been affected by flooding in Loughborough, with police closing Belton Road from the junction of Jubilee Drive to Meadow Lane, and the A426 Lutterworth Road from Little Glen Road to Leicester Road roundabout in Blaby.
Most of the flood warnings covered the central part of England, in Birmingham, Leicester and Northampton.
A woman was injured by a falling tree as gusts of up to 94mph hit in Orpington, south-east London. The Metropolitan police were called at 3.14pm on Tuesday to reports that a woman had been struck by a tree in Station Approach.
A force spokesperson said: “Officers attended along with paramedics from the London ambulance service and the London fire brigade. The woman was taken to hospital. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Her family has been informed.”
The strongest gales were recorded at the Needles Old Battery in the Isle of Wight, where wind speeds reached 94mph.
Gusts of 81mph were reached at Exeter airport in Devon, and top winds hit 71mph at the Isle of Portland in Dorset and also at Mumbles Head in Glamorgan.
The Energy Networks Association, which collates data from all energy providers, estimated that 10,000 customers were without power as a result of storm damage, as of 7am on Wednesday.
Stefan Laeger, the Environment Agency’s flood duty manager, said the heavy rainfall meant significant local flooding on the River Nene, in the east of England, was probable until Thursday.
Warwickshire fire and rescue service was called out to The Ford in Kenilworth to rescue a motorist who became stuck trying to drive through flood water. A spokesperson said: “Due to the speed of the flowing water we used our inflatable sled to safely rescue the car’s occupants. Please avoid the area and do not try to drive through flood water.”
I loved it as much as you’ll end it here. The sketch and writing are good, but you’re nervous about what comes next. Definitely come back because it’s pretty much always the same if you protect this walk.