Hurricane force storm Batters Southern Britain

Hurricane-force winds battered Britain's southern areas on Monday, shutting down bridges and rail services and grounding flights, and leaving 40,000 homes without power. The St Jude's storm hit the South West from around midnight, bringing winds in excess of 90mph and torrential rain. The storm has ripped across Wales and England, felling trees, cutting power supplies to up to 40,000 people and damaging vehicles, with some of the worst weather expected during the morning rush hour. Gusts of 99mph have been recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, according to the Met Office, while the Environment Agency has put in place 19 flood warnings and 147 flood alerts. British Prime Minister David Cameron has held talks with government departments and agencies to ensure they are prepared for the storm's impact, while transport minister Baroness Kramer urged commuters to stay at home until the worst of the weather has passed. Most train operators have cancelled all services in the south of England before 9am - with further disruption expected throughout the day. The UK Network Rail warned that trains will not be allowed to run until the worst of the storm has passed and engineers have been able to check railway lines in daylight for fallen trees, branches or any other debris which may have blown onto or damaged the infrastructure. Heathrow airport has cut capacity for all airlines by 20% between 6am and 11am and cancelled 60 flights before the storm hit the mainland. Airlines are believed to be making plans to divert planes to airports in the north of the UK if necessary. Western Power said they had 5,000 customers without power and are bringing in extra staff to help deal with 60 incidents. The Environment Agency said 20-40mm (0.8-1.6inches) of rain could fall within six to nine hours. It has teams working to minimize river flood risk, clearing debris from streams and unblocking culverts. Met Office severe weather alerts are in place, with an amber warning, meaning "be prepared", for the southern half of England and Wales. A yellow warning, meaning "be aware", has been issued for the rest of Wales and England. In London, the Metropolitan Police has urged people to avoid calling 999 during the storm unless there is a real emergency. The storm has been compared to the Great Storm of 1987, which claimed 22 lives in England and France in a three hour period.