Thousands of homes lost power, two lost during Storm Bert

Tens of thousands of homes are without power after two men died in road accidents during Storm Bert.

Winds of up to 70mph will hit coastal areas and as temperatures rise on Saturday, melting snow and heavy rain are causing flooding, with British power chiefs saying the worst effects are yet to come.

Hampshire Police said a man died after a tree fell on a car on the A34 southbound near Winchester on Saturday morning.

The death of a 60-year-old man driving a black Mercedes on the A34 southbound between Kings Worthy and Winnall was confirmed dead at the scene. Police are investigating whether the incident was weather-related.

Meanwhile in West Yorkshire, a 34-year-old man from Bradford died after his car collided with a wall in Shipley.

Police were called at 12:59, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene

Officers are still investigating the cause of the incident, but it is known that the road was not icy at the time of the incident.

Tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity, including 4,000 homes in the Midlands, southwest England and south Wales, and 27,000 customers in the north east, Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire.

Ross Easton, of the Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents UK energy network operators, said: “There have been several localized weather-related power outages across parts of the UK this morning. However, severe weather has not yet had a significant impact in most parts of the country.

“Forecasts describe this as a ‘multi-hazard event’ with the worst of the weather yet to arrive, so our members have additional engineers and contact center teams at their disposal, and control rooms are closely monitoring the storm as it develops.”