UK battered by gale force winds

LONDON, England -- Thousands of homes across the UK are without power as storm-force winds lash the country.

The weather, which brought flood alerts and major disruption to travel, particularly in Scotland, on Monday, followed a weekend of high winds across central Europe, especially in Germany and Switzerland.

Stormy weather swept across western and central parts of Scotland and Northern England on Monday, while Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also suffered gales and showers.

A spokeswoman for the UK Press Association weather centre said gales of 98mph had been recorded at Malan Head in Northern Ireland.

Around 20,000 homes in northern Scotland lost power when winds gusting up to 90 mph felled electricity lines, some of them brought down by tree branches that were sent hurtling through the air, Scottish Hydro-Electric said.

"It's pretty wild out there," Julian Reeves of Scottish Hydro-Electric told Reuters.

"We've got 500 staff ready to be deployed but 80-mile winds are making it dangerous for some of them to carry out repairs."

The Railtrack company imposed an emergency 50mph speed restriction across the Scottish rail network as a result of the weather.

On the roads, police brought in speed restrictions at many main bridges and some were closed to high sided vehicles in the gale force winds.

Ferry services were also hit by the bad weather, with many services in the west of Scotland experiencing delays, diversions or cancellations.

The Meteorological Office, in London, forecast that the gales would gradually move south from Scotland during the day.

"There may be disruptions to traffic and some structural damage in northern Scotland and Northeast England," said Met Office spokesman Sean Clarke.

"But fairly strong winds will be felt across the country. The rest of the week looks unsettled."

Victoria Hallaa, a spokeswoman for Yorkshire Electricity, which serves homes and businesses in north east England, said: "We're ready for it."

In County Donegal, in Ireland, more than 1,000 homes lost power and more people were cut off in the west of the country.

A train with about 120 people on board was struck by a falling tree in Perthshire, Scotland.

The tree landed on top of the train, slightly injuring the driver. None of the passengers on the 7.55am service from London were injured and the train was not derailed from the single track.

The severe weather also brought the risk of flooding to some parts of Britain.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 10 flood warnings, mainly at rivers in Perthshire, as well as Inverclyde and North Ayrshire.

It was also warning of higher than usual tide levels in coastal areas around the country over the next 18 hours.

The Environment Agency had 23 flood warnings in force, affecting areas in Wales, the Midlands, Cumbria and Buckinghamshire.