A woman jogs through sea foam in Blackpool as Storm Eleanor lashed the UK

The worst effects of Storm Eleanor have passed over the UK, but rain and high wind left a trail of destruction.

Violent gusts of up to 100mph swept across the country, leaving thousands of homes without power and injuring motorists.

Trees were felled and a harbour wall collapsed in Cornwall.

The Met Office said winds would return to their seasonal norm on Wednesday night and Thursday, but warned a band of rain would sweep in from the south-west overnight.

Storm Eleanor: in pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Storm Eleanor: in pictures Storm Eleanor: in pictures Storm Eleanor swept across the country overnight, bringing winds of up to 100 mph in places and carrying rain, hail and thunder and lightning AFP/Getty Storm Eleanor: in pictures The Thames Barrier has been closed to prevent possible flooding in London Rex Features Storm Eleanor: in pictures Cars are seen in a flooded multi-storey car park as flood waters reached up to 1.5 meters and destroyed multiple cars, in Galway Reuters Storm Eleanor: in pictures Repairs are made to the harbour wall that was damaged by Storm Eleanor in Cornwall Getty Storm Eleanor: in pictures A man walks past a fallen tree as it blocks a road in Harrow EPA Storm Eleanor: in pictures Storm Eleanor lashed the UK with violent storm-force winds of up to 100mph PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures A fence around a building yard fallen on parked card in Tottenham Rex Features Storm Eleanor: in pictures A beach patrol vehicle drives past waves crashing against the breakwater in Blackpool EPA Storm Eleanor: in pictures A trampoline blew away in Leeds Iryna Mi/PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures A car drives along a flooded road in New Brighto REUTERS Storm Eleanor: in pictures A partially collapsed harbour wall in Portreath, Cornwall PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures Waves crash over the tidal wall as a motorist travels along the coastal road in New Brighton, north west England AFP/Getty Storm Eleanor: in pictures An uprooted tree falls in the front garden of a house in Haringey, North London Rex Features Storm Eleanor: in pictures A car crushed by falling debris in London Storm Eleanor: in pictures A flooded street in Galway Michael Scott/Twitter/PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures The strong winds have caused damage across the UK Storm Eleanor: in pictures Big waves crash over the sea walls in Blackpool PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures Storm Eleanor at high tide in Weston-Super-Mare Rex Features Storm Eleanor: in pictures Water surrounds parked cars in Galway as storm Eleanor hit Emma Hayward/Twitter/PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures A car driving through flood water in Salthill, Galway The Latin Quarter Galway/PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures Workmen clear debris from the roadside after Storm Eleanor damaged an office construction in Belfast, Northern Ireland Getty Storm Eleanor: in pictures Waves crash against the sea wall in Aberystwyth PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures Storm Eleanor has caused road disruption PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures A car drives through a flooded car park in Salthill PA Storm Eleanor: in pictures Cars stranded in flood water Emma Hayward/Twitter/PA

A yellow warning of wind was extended for all of England and Wales, most of Northern Ireland and the Scottish Borders until 7pm on Wednesday after an amber warning was put in place for the early hours.

As the storm bore down on the UK and Ireland, tens of thousands of homes and businesses suffered power outages.

They included 55,000 properties in the Republic and 20,000 customers in Northern Ireland.

Around 2,500 properties between Cornwall and the Midlands were also blighted by power outages, largely due to flying debris, Western Power Distribution said.

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There were roughly 60 incidents reported as Storm Eleanor barrelled across the network overnight, with Mid-Devon experiencing the worst damage, according to a spokeswoman.

Several major bridges were closed due to high winds and there were numerous reports of fallen trees blocking roads including the M25.

Roads became perilous in some areas, with one man injured in Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, when a tree fell on his car, the Welsh Ambulance Service said.

In England, another falling tree injured two men overnight when it crashed into their car, Hampshire Police said.

Officers were called to Lyndhurst Road in the New Forest at around 3.20am, and both occupants of the Ford Focus were taken to hospital by ambulance.

Winds from the storm were particularly powerful in coastal areas, including in Cornwall, where a tide-battered harbour wall in Portreath partially collapsed on Wednesday morning.

Cornwall Police said they were called at around 5.50am due to a very high tide and water coming on to the road.

Closer to shore, cracks began to form in the harbour wall and water poured through it, while some steps collapsed.

A spokeswoman for Cornwall Police said a 25ft to 30ft section was later knocked down further along the wall, but added there was no risk to anybody.

Overturned vehicles forced closures on the A1M near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, the M6 near Lancaster and M5 near Worcester, where a recovery operation was required to clear up the contents of a lorry left spilled on the road.

An object in overhead lines between London Paddington and Hayes reduced the number of trains leaving the major hub, while power outages halted rail services between Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge.

The Met Office said gusts of 100mph were recorded at Great Dun Fell in Cumbria at 1am, while wind speeds reached 90mph at Orlock Head in Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening.

Gusts up to 89mph were recorded on the Isle of Wight at around midnight, while in Northolt, north-west London, speeds of up to 73mph were detected and 77mph gusts were recorded in High Bradfield, South Yorkshire.

Meteorologist Becky Mitchell said the risk of more "violent storm-force gusts" had lessened, although wind speeds of between 70mph and 80mph could hit some parts.

"Storm Eleanor has swept through and the eye is now crossing the North Sea, although there will continue to be strong gusts through the day," she said.

"We have seen some heavy showers push through across the south of the UK along with hail, loud thunder and lightning, which has woken people up.

"It is possible there will be quite widespread disruption this morning and it is worth checking before you travel."

High winds caused huge waves in the last 24 hours

The Severn River Crossing and the Orwell Bridge in Suffolk were closed in the early hours due to strong winds.

Highways England said there was a possibility that the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge would have to close and the east tunnel of the Dartford Crossing had been shut in case it had to take diverted traffic.

Police forces in Cumbria, Suffolk, Norfolk and Humberside were among those to issue warnings that downed trees had blocked routes.

Isle of Man Police said infrastructure staff worked through the night to remove trees from the roads, while there were multiple reports of roofs coming off buildings, flooding and mud debris.

As well as the problems posed by high winds, the Environment Agency has issued 39 flood warnings and 109 flood alerts, with coastal areas under threat from a combination of a high tide and large waves.

The Thames Barrier was being closed to protect London from swelling tides.

In Cheshire the RSPCA was called to a road in Poynton where a swan had taken up residence in a puddle, blocking traffic