Tens of thousands of homes are without power and train lines have been disrupted after Storm Darragh caused widespread damage across the UK.
Two men died at the weekend when trees fell on their vehicles in separate incidents during the fourth named storm of the year.
Hundreds of flood alerts were in place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Monday, forcing the cancellation of dozens of train services.
As many as 66,000 people are still without power, more than 24 hours after gusts of up to 90mph brought down electricity lines across parts of the UK.
A tree surgeon hangs from a crane to inspect a fallen tree in London on Sunday. Photograph: James Willoughby/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock
The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said on Monday it had been too dangerous for its more than 1,500 engineers and field staff to reach some communities, leaving them in the dark for approaching 48 hours.
More than 259,000 homes were without power at the peak of Storm Darragh on Saturday night, according to the ENA.
The widespread disruption came as tributes were paid to a man in his 40s who was killed when a tree fell on his Citroen van in Lancashire on Saturday morning.
Paul Fiddler, a football coach at Lytham Town FC, died when strong wings brought down the tree in the village of Longton.
On its Facebook page, the club described him as a “legend” and added he was “well-loved” and a “true friend”.
Another man died in the Erdington area of Birmingham after a tree fell and hit his car just after 3pm on Saturday.
A woman walks next to warning signs on a flooded road in Hereford on Sunday. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
As of 11am on Monday, 36 flood warnings were in place across England and Wales. The Welsh border was the worst affected region after the River Severn, Britain’s longest river, burst its banks over the weekend.
As many as 134 of the less-severe flood alerts – meaning there is a risk of flooding – remain in force across large swaths of England and Wales.
Chris Baughan, Network Rail’s west coast south route operations manager, said Storm Darragh had “wreaked havoc on the railway this weekend” and added: “We are very sorry to passengers for the disruption to train services this morning on the west coast main line as frontline teams continue with emergency repairs and the clean-up.”
Passengers were warned to expect cancellations and delays to train services on the west coast main line, between London Euston and Scotland, while Great Western Railway told people not to try to travel in parts of Wales and in parts of Cornwall until at least noon on Monday. Transport for Wales said railway lines were blocked on 11 routes.
The Met Office said the weather was expected to settle down over the next few days, although there could be blustery showers on Tuesday in parts of the south-east of England.
