South hit hardest as bad weather sweeps across country

Rain and wind continued to wreak havoc across the country yesterday, with southern parts of the UK taking the brunt of the bad weather.

The South West and Wales were battered by gusts of up to 71mph, while other parts of the country continued to suffer from strong winds and downpours.

Around 10,000 homes were left without power in South Wales and the West Midlands, as well as 2,000 in the South West, Western Power said.

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The cuts were caused by weather-related problems, such as trees bringing lines down, trees leaning on lines, or debris hitting power lines, a spokeswoman said.

Cardiff Council received reports of 50 to 60 trees brought down by the weather across the city and set up an emergency response centre.

The M48 Severn Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles in both directions yesterday morning because of strong winds.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was “busy” throughout the night across both counties with numerous calls reporting trees and electrical cables either down in the road or affecting people’s properties.

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Matt Dobson, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, said there would be a “massive improvement” in weather across central and eastern England today. Parts of the North will get to 16C to 17C instead of Sunday’s 6C to 8C.

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