4 Jan 2012

Britain battered by severe storms

7:05 am on 4 January 2012

Storms have caused damage across many parts of Britain, with gusts of almost 160km/h in Scotland.

A man in his 50s was killed in Kent when a tree collapsed on his van, and a bus driver in Surrey suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on his bus, the BBC reports.

Thousands of people were without power in parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Force 10 winds in the English Channel forced the Port of Dover to close, but it has now reopened on Tuesday.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for many regions.

Around Britain, trees fell on to railway tracks and power lines, trucks blew over on busy roads and heavy rains led to flood warnings.

Part of the roof of the grandstand at Epsom racecourse in Surrey was blown off.