Storm Ciara latest: Man dies after tree hits car
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3:40pm: 98 per cent of 413,000 homes have power restored
UK Power Networks have announced that they have reconnected 98 per cent of the 413,000 homes that were without power due to the impact of Storm Ciara.
It added that engineers were aiming to have restored power to all homes and businesses by the end of today.
UK Power Networks are offering vulnerable people hotel accommodation, support vans and hot meals while they continue to resolve outages around the country.
3:10pm: Communities minister activates emergency financial assistance scheme
Communities minister Robert Jenrick has activated the emergency Bellwin to assist affected communities in West Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire.
Bellwin is a scheme of emergency financial assistance to help local authorities meet uninsurable costs they incur when dealing with the aftermath of an emergency in their area.
Each local authority, when a scheme is activated, can claim for eligible costs above a set threshold.
The scheme is regularly activated in times of environmental emergency, most recently in the aftermath of flooding in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in November.
Jenrick tweeted that his department stood ready to help at this difficult time.
2:56pm: Tree blocks rail lines to Stansted Airport
Railway service the Stansted Express has said that all lines to Stansted airport are currently closed due to a tree falling on the tracks.
Disruption is expected from London to Stansted and onwards to Cambridge and Bishops Stortford until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has extended its weather warnings, issuing a new yellow warning over snow in the Midlands and the East of England.
There are existing yellow warnings for snow covering Scotland and Northern Ireland.
1:00pm: Travel disruption continues as storm continues to rage
Travel services continue to warn passengers not to travel unless strictly necessary as the damage from the storm led to further disruption and delays.
Avanti West Coast services are not running north of Preston due to flooding on the line, whilst there are reduced services running on a number of other lines.
Debris on the line – from trees to trampolines – is the most cited cause of delays.
More than 100 flights have been cancelled, with five per cent of all flights out of Heathrow airport called off due to high winds.
In addition, P&O ferries has suspended a number of sailings between Dover and Calais due to the conditions.
Yesterday a ferry was delayed by eight hours after becoming trapped in the storm.
11:28am: Man dies in Hampshire after tree hits car in Storm Ciara
A 58-year-old man has died in Hampshire after his car was hit by a falling tree in Hampshire as Storm Ciara continues to lash the UK.
Police said that the man had been travelling between Winchester and Micheldever on the A33 when the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: “We are investigating after a tree fell onto a car on the A33 during the storm on Sunday, February 9, and killed a man.
“The 58-year-old man, from Micheldever, was driving his Mercedes from Winchester to Micheldever when the tree fell just before 4pm.
“His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
“The road was closed for several hours while emergency services attended. Sadly, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.”
7:31am: Travel disrupted as Storm Ciara batters UK
Storm Ciara continued to batter the UK this morning after 20,000 homes across the country spent last night without power.
Flood warnings remain in place across the country, with major transport providers such as Network Rail warning passengers only to travel if necessary.
There are currently no trains running north of Preston on the west coast main line after severe flooding, with most other lines either suffering delays or part closures.
On Sunday winds up to 97 mph ripped through the UK, causing widespread flooding and the closure of many transport lines.
More than a month and a half of rainfall fell in 24 hours as nearly half a million homes suffered from power outage yesterday.
UK Power Networks said over 18,500 properties across east and south-east England still had no power this morning, while Western Power Distribution said more than 2,800 homes were in the dark.
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Forecasters have issued yellow weather warnings for much of the UK, with wind and snow warnings in place across Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Up to 20 inches of snow are predicted for today, with the majority to be concentrated in the north.
Hundreds of flights were also cancelled yesterday, with British Airways warning passengers that the storm’s disruption might have a knock-on effect this morning.
![People sit in their cars to watch as Storm Ciara causes waves to crash over the wall at Newhaven Harbour on the south coast of England](https://www.cityam.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1199596082.jpg)
The airline said: “We’re getting in touch with those affected, and have brought in extra customer teams to help them with a range of options including a full refund or an alternative flight between now and Thursday”.
It added that anyone flying short-haul to or from Gatwick or Heathrow airports could change their plans to fly at a different time.
Weather warnings are expected to remain in place until Wednesday, with forecasters saying that conditions will remain unsettled.