Weather: Two Dead And Thousands Evacuated

Thousands of families are being evacuated as parts of the UK brace themselves for the worst storms in more than 60 years.

Two people have died as winds of up to 142mph battered some of the worst-affected areas, causing travel chaos and leaving 100,000 homes without power.

A man died after he was struck by a falling tree in a park in Retford, Nottinghamshire, and a lorry driver was killed when the HGV he was driving was blown on top of two cars on the A801 near Bathgate, West Lothian. Four others were injured in the accident.

The scene of the fatal accident in West Lothian

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But as emergency services strove to help those reeling from the gales, preparations were being made to guard against the worst coastal tidal surge since the devastating floods of 1953.

In Norfolk, 9,000 homes are being evacuated as local officials attempt to stem the damage from the coastal surge.

A further 1,000 properties are to be evacuated in affected areas in Suffolk and some residents in Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, are also being urged to leave their homes.

Residents of the Welsh seaside town of Rhyl have already been badly hit, with cars submerged in floodwater and a number of people rescued from their homes.

The RNLI came to people's rescue after floods hit Rhyl

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency response committee was held to discuss how to combat the extreme conditions.

Motorists were warned not to travel due to "extremely dangerous" road conditions and Scotland's entire rail network was suspended.

A car is submerged in New Brighton, Merseyside

Network Rail said debris on the lines and damage to equipment meant it was not safe to operate any services, with trains halted at their nearest stations and passengers advised to disembark.

Spokesman Nick King said: "The weather conditions are such that we are having to bring the network to a standstill at the moment.

"There's too much debris and too much damage to equipment to continue. We cannot continue to run trains with the levels of wind we are seeing."

As winds got stronger - with gusts of 142mph recorded in the Highlands - Network Rail Scotland said Glasgow Central station had been evacuated "due to debris smashing glass in the roof", although no injuries were reported.

An Environment Agency map showing England's worst-affected areas

Flights were cancelled at Edinburgh Airport due to the high winds, which also prompted the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 16 flood warnings and 13 flood alerts in place, most of them for the north and east of the country.

Police Scotland warned  of "extremely poor" conditions and advised motorists to take care.

An overturned lorry blocking the Friarton Bridge in Perth caused major delays, and motorists were urged to avoid driving in the south, west, central belt and South Perthshire regions of Scotland.

The strongest gusts have been recorded on the slopes of Aonach Mor, where the Met Office said winds had reached speeds of 142mph.

Meanwhile, the rest of Scotland and northern parts of England were lashed by severe gales of between 60mph and 80mph.

A car crushed by a tree in Davidsons Mains, Edinburgh

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was responding to numerous calls relating to fallen trees and road blockages.

And a spokeswoman for Scottish Hydro said its staff were working to restore power to the 100,000 homes affected by cuts, many of them in the Highlands.

The company said around 500 staff are working to fix the faults, including extra engineers drafted in from England.

In England and Wales, a total of 34 severe flood warnings - meaning there is a danger to life - have been issued by the Environment Agency (EA), 28 of them for the Anglian region and four for the south east.

A driver had a lucky escape in Birmingham

Areas most at risk include the North Sea coast from Northumberland down to the Thames Estuary and Kent. At present, there are more than 150 flood warnings - indicating "immediate action required" - and 62 flood alerts in place.

The Christmas Market in Birmingham had to be closed after the roof was blown of a hut, while a driver escaped after his vehicle was crushed by a tree in Longsight, Manchester.

An overturned lorry on the M6 in Cumbria

In some places, sea levels could be as high as those during the the devastating floods of 1953, the EA said, although flood  defences since then, including the Thames, Deptford and Hull barriers, should provide better protection than 60 years ago.

EA spokesman Peter Fox said 3,000 properties were expected to suffer from flooding in the next 24 hours.

"The most important thing is that along the east coast (of England) the high tide will be hitting in the hours of darkness this evening and tonight, so people really need to take the daylight hours today to prepare for the coastal and tidal flooding that we are predicting," he said.

Northern Ireland has seen gusts of up to 70mph , with flying debris and high winds leaving around 7,000 properties without electricity.

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