Man dies after tree falls on car as Storm Bert sweeps UK

A man has died after a tree fell on his car as Storm Bert brought strong winds, rain, and snow and caused disruption across the UK.

Hampshire Police said a man in his 60s died after a tree hit his car on the A34 near Winchester early on Saturday morning.

Road, rail, and air passengers all saw delays and cancellations, while thousands of homes have been left without power.

Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are in place across the UK, as well as dozens of flood warnings in England, Wales and Scotland. Meteorologists have described it as a multi-hazard storm.

In England, snowfall caused the closure of a number of A-roads, while a number of rail companies – including Northern Rail and Avanti West Coast – were forced to cancel dozens of services.

Two other people died on Saturday in crashes on the roads during the stormy weather, one in West Yorkshire and another in Northamptonshire – although it is not known if they were directly related to the conditions.

A major search and rescue operation was launched in Sidmouth, Devon, after members of the public spotted an object in a river.

Newcastle Airport and Leeds Bradford Airport both saw numerous flights delayed, although both later said they were operating as normal.

National Highways issued a severe weather alert for snow on roads in Yorkshire and north-east England in anticipation of blizzard conditions and said snow would “accumulate quickly at all levels”.

Scotland was hit by even more snow than anticipated on Saturday, causing long traffic jams and multiple road closures.

Lothian buses suspended all of its 70 routes across Edinburgh and surrounding areas, and there were delays and cancellations to ScotRail services.

The Queensferry Crossing across the Firth of Forth was closed due to the threat of falling ice.

A number of Scottish football matches were also affected.

The kick-off of Rangers’ afternoon game against Dundee United was pushed back by 45 minutes following travel issues, while at least two Scottish Championship games have been called off altogether.

Earlier snow has given way to rain for many, but that the threat of disruption is not yet over.

Tim Robertson, 58, who lives in Coniston Waterhead, Cumbria, sent the BBC footage of an area in which overnight snowfall had quickly melted and left a road waterlogged.

“We woke up to about four inches of snow,” he said. “Since then, the snow has been melting and, with the rain as well, there’s been a lot of water.

“We went out for a walk in the woods and when we came back, that particular stretch of road was flooded. Cars were still getting through. I’m not sure how wise that was.”

He added that some of the roads had since cleared.

Early on Sunday, a total of 49 floods warnings remain in force in England, mostly around the northwest, while 160 alerts are in force across the southwest, Midlands, and northwest.

As of 19:00 GMT on Saturday, the National Grid said 1,186 homes in Wales and 819 in south-west England were without power, though both figures were down from earlier in the day.

The most affected parts of south Wales were expected to see up to 150mm of rainfall on Saturday, equivalent to the average rainfall for the whole of November in just a day.

Natural Resources Wales said there was flooding to low-lying areas in parts of Carmarthenshire near the River Loughor, with river levels set to rise and flooding of property expected.

In Denbighshire, north Wales, five adults and five children were rescued from a house following a landslide.

Sixteen flood warnings and 51 flood alerts are in force in areas across the country.

Winds from Storm Bert strengthened on Saturday morning, with top gusts of 82mph recorded at Capel Curig (Conwy) and 75mph at Needles, an exposed site on the western tip of the Isle of Wight.

In Scotland, the Cairngorm mountains saw blizzard conditions and winds of up to 105mph.

Strong winds also forced the closure of the Severn Bridge, which connects Gloucestershire and south Wales.

Ferry companies were also affected. Operator CalMac – which serves the west coast of Scotland – cancelled several services, while P&O Ferries cancelled one service and Irish Ferries cancelled numerous crossings to Wales.

The charity that maintains London’s royal parks, which include Hype Park and Kensington Gardens, said all eight would be closed on Sunday and have delayed openings on Monday because of concerns about severe wind gusts.

Areas of Ireland were also hit by flooding, with the west of the country appearing to be worst-affected.

At one point, 60,000 customers across the country were left without power.