A lorry driver has died after his vehicle was blown on top of two cars in West Lothian by high winds which have swept across Scotland.



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Transport Scotland has told people to avoid travelling on the roads and Network Rail has shut down all train services.

The rest of the UK is braced as the storm, with 100mph winds, moves south.

500 Essex homes have been evacuated as England's east coast prepares for the most serious tidal surge in 30 years.

The remains of a car which has been hit by a tree then had its roof cut off by firefighters
The trees blocked roads and, in some cases, crushed vehicles.
The Environment Agency expects 3,000 properties to be flooded within the next 24 hours.

Police in Scotland warned motorists of ongoing incidents due to fallen trees, flash flooding, overturned HGVs and minor road crashes.


Tomasz Schafernaker: "A mound of water is heading in the direction of Lincolnshire and East Anglia... imminent threat to life"
Other areas and services affected include:

100,000 homes in Scotland are now without power due to disruption caused by the storm
Northern Ireland Electricity says there are 6,500 customers without power
Network Rail has cancelled all trains in Scotland and is warning travellers to expect delays in northern and eastern England
Virgin Trains says no trains will run north of Carlisle until further notice and onward travel by any means cannot be guaranteed
East Coast says it will run a revised timetable
The Humber Bridge in Humberside is closed in both directions due to strong winds
In north Wales, emergency crews are preparing for flooding
A rest centre is being put on standby in Rhyl in case people have to be moved
BBC weather presenter Matt Taylor explained that "storm surges" are expected later.


Weather presenter Matt Taylor explains how a storm surge happens
He said surges begin when a rising area of low pressure takes pressure off the surface of the sea, allowing it "bulge" upwards.

"Then, as that pulls away, you get the very strong winds on the back edge of the low pressure and then that shoves that bulge of high sea levels down through the North Sea," he said.

Flood preparations
The Environment Agency said the North Sea coast from Northumberland to the Thames Estuary was at risk.

In some places sea levels could be as high as those during the devastating floods of 1953 - although flood defences built since then meant many parts of the country were now better protected, it added.

The agency has more than 100 flood warnings and alerts in place, including 18 severe alerts for the East Anglia region - indicating danger to life.

Those likely to be affected include West Mersea in Essex, Southwold and Thorpeness in Suffolk, the Riverside Business park in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and along the Bure and Yare rivers in Great Yarmouth.

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