Storm Arwen leaves thousands without power as 160kph gusts batter Britain

Two people were killed by falling trees and weather warnings remain in place

More than 100,000 people suffered power cuts as Storm Arwen lashed the UK with winds of up to 160 kilometres an hour.

Falling trees killed two people – one in Northern Ireland where a tree fell on a car and one in Cumbria, northern England, which hit a pedestrian.

Snow also fell across Scotland and northern England as strong winds battered the region. Amber and yellow warnings remained in place on Saturday across much of the country.

Gusts of 160kph hit Brizlee Wood in Northumberland, the UK's Met Office said. “Many roads remain closed so please only travel if absolutely necessary,” it said on Twitter.

About 55,000 customers lost power across Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear, all in northern England. Another 80,000 also suffered power cuts caused by the storm.

“We've seen some pretty severe gusts overnight,” said Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna.

“Elsewhere, exposed sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland also surpassed 90mph, with 70-80mph seen more widely in the north of the UK, though parts of southern England and Wales also felt the effects of the storm.

“This has been coupled with a few inches of snow which has fallen in some areas.

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  Waves crash against Roker Lighthouse in Sunderland, northern England during Storm Arwen. The storm's 160kph gusts battered parts of the UK at the weekend. Photo: PA

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  A fallen tree in Crook, Cumbria, which was brought down by Storm Arwen. Photo: PA

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  Fallen garden trees in Wallasey Village, Wirral, England. Photo: PA

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  Storm Arwen brought down this tree in Willaston, Cheshire. Photo: PA

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  Falling masonry damaged this car in Sunderland, northern England. Photo: PA

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  A fallen tree blocks a road in the centre of Norton village, County Durham after Storm Arwen's gusts of almost 160kph battered some areas of the UK. Photo: PA

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  A homeowner, who lost the roof of his house in strong winds, takes a picture of his property in Blackhall, County Durham. Photo: PA

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  A lorry blown over by high winds blocks a road near Hartlepool, County Durham. Photo: PA

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  Motorists drive through a heavy snow shower as it passes over Saltburn by the Sea in North Yorkshire. Photo: Getty

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  A woman walks her dogs in a heavy snow shower over Saltburn by the Sea, North Yorkshire as Storm Arwen sweeps across parts of the UK. Photo: Getty

“In the higher ground areas of Scotland we expected to see up to 15cm falling but the strong winds meant the snow blew around and created a blizzard in some parts.”

People were advised to be wary of travelling on Saturday, as train networks across the UK reported disruption.

ScotRail services were disrupted between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street, Dunblane and Stirling after a barn was blown on to the line close to Polmont, near Falkirk.

TransPennine Express customers were urged not to travel, with services between Newcastle and Edinburgh cancelled.

South Western Railway expected disruption on Saturday morning owing to “multiple trees and obstructions blocking the railway”, while London North Eastern Railway warned customers not to travel north of York because of “significant damage".

Homes across all parts of the UK were damaged by the storm.

Dorset Council, on England's southern coast, reported that trees and power cables had fallen on roads in the area. Road closures were reported more widely in the worst-affected parts of northern England and Scotland.

“There has been plenty of disruption caused by these severe gales, stretching down from south-west England and as far as northern parts of Scotland,” Mr Petagna said.

“But I have to say we've seen the worst of the weather and things will start to fizzle out over Saturday, though people will still see snow and fairly strong gales.”

The Met Office warned that north-east and north-west England, the West Midlands and the East Midlands will experience cold weather until Monday.