Britain recovers after 99 mph gale havoc

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) Britain was recovering today from the worst storms for 17 years that killed at least 12 people, caused travel chaos and left a trail of destruction.

Calmer weather was forecast for today but strong winds were still making driving hazardous on motorways across the country.

The risk of flooding after heavy rains remained high with the Environment Agency issuing 19 flood warnings across England and Wales.

Long distance train operators GNER and Virgin said they would be running a reduced service as they continued to clear debris from tracks and repair damaged overhead power lines.

Heathrow Airport said short-haul and domestic flights were suffering some cancellations and delays.

Network Rail said the gales had caused more than 1,000 incidents of debris and obstruction on railway tracks yesterday.

Gusts of up to 99 mph uprooted trees, tore off roofs and blew down scaffolding across the country.

Power was cut from thousands of homes as flying debris brought down electricity cables.

In north London a two-year-old boy was killed when a wall fell on him.

In Manchester a man died when he was blown over and hit his head while opening the doors of his van.

Other victims of the savage storms included the managing director of Birmingham International Airport, Richard Heard, who was killed when a tree fell on his car in Shropshire.

The Met Office said widespread gusts of 70-80 mph were reported across all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with gales peaking at 99 mph at the Needles off the Isle of Wight.

It said they were the worst gales to hit Britain since the Burns' Day storm of 25 January 1990.

REUTERS PB VV1510