St Jude's Storm shutdown: Eurostar and Monday morning train services cancelled across south as coast is lashed by 25ft waves

Amendments and cancellations on First Capital Connect, Southeastern, Greater Anglia and Stansted Express

Also disruption on East Coast, c2c, First Great Western, Southern, Gatwick Express and South West Trains

Ferries from Poole and Weymouth to Guernsey & Jersey cancelled and hovercrafts to Isle of Wight suspended

About 60 flights cancelled at London Heathrow Airport tomorrow but none yet at Gatwick, Stansted and Luton



Forecasters warn houses face damage, trees falling and power cuts in biggest storm to hit Britain in a decade



Wales and South West England will be hit first early tomorrow morning with winds of up to 90mph expected

Boy, 14, believed to have drowned today after swimming with friends in waves off Newhaven in East Sussex

Canoeist dies after being pulled from swollen River Tees near Barnard Castle, County Durham, after capsizing




The biggest storm to hit Britain in a decade is set to cause travel chaos tomorrow morning as rail operators cancel services and airports ground flights.

Many train companies in the South have announced they will be running amended timetables, with some not operating at all until late morning.

Network Rail told passengers to allow extra time to reach stations and to catch trains because road conditions are also expected to be hazardous.

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Uprooted: A fallen tree is pictured in Northfleet, Kent, as Britain braces for a severe storm this morning with winds of more than 80mph Coming in: As the big storm approaches, aircraft battle the wind and crab sideways to land at Leeds Bradford Airport in West Yorkshire yesterday Capturing the moment: Photographers take a risk to get good shots of the storm waves at Porthcawl in Bridgend, South Wales

Waves: A search was launched for a 14-year-old boy who was swept out to sea while swimming near the shore in Newhaven, East Sussex Concern: Police said the missing teenager got into difficulty at about 4.15pm while swimming with friends near the shore at West Beach, Newhaven

A search is under way for a 14-year-old boy who was swept out to sea while swimming near the shore in Newhaven, East Sussex. Winds of 80mph could leave a trail of destruction, bringing down trees and causing widespread structural damage, leading to power cuts. Surface water floods could strike much of England as the Met Office predicts 0.8 to 1.6in of rain could fall within six to nine hours overnight. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Frantic search for boy, 14, swept out to sea while swimming... Four million not out! Number of times cricket-mad civil... Heart-rending confession in rare interview with Harry Potter... Share this article Share Transport for London said there will be no service on the Overground line until 9am on Monday. Underground lines were expected to run as normal.

Eurostar will not be running Cross-Channel trains until 7am tomorrow morning - and other services were expected to be delayed until 12pm. First Capital Connect is not expecting to run until 9am while Southeastern will run an amended timetable with services potentially not starting until 10am. There will be no Greater Anglia or Stansted Express services until after 9am, when there will be a reduced service with significant disruption expected.

Wild: Rough seas pound the sea wall of Brighton Marina yesterday as the south coast braced itself for the storm to hit Caught without an umbrella: A family runs for cover as torrential rain in Appledore, North Devon, marks the start of the storm feared to be the worst in a decade A kite surfer enjoys the stormy seas at Fistral Beach, in Newquay, Cornwall, yesterday ahead of the storm Blocked off: Winds battered the Sussex coastline, bringing down this tree in Brighton

Destroyed: A huge wind turbine fell down in high winds in a field near Teignmouth, Devon



The Highways Agency said the Queen Elizabeth II bridge on the M25, which forms part of the Dartford River Crossing between Essex and Kent, was expected to close in the very early hours of Monday morning due to the high winds. However, the tunnel part of the crossing is expected to remain open and will operate in contraflow - one tunnel running in each direction - to allow traffic to still get across the Thames.

The agency said other areas were also being affected by strong winds.

The Sheppey crossing in Kent, which carries the A249 to the Isle of Sheppey, was closed earlier on Sunday and there have been speed restrictions in place on the Dartford crossing.

Elsewhere , the M48 suspension bridge (Severn crossing) has been closed to high-sided and other vulnerable vehicles during the day and has been closed to all traffic from 7pm on Sunday.

Authorities on both sides of the Severn have taken the decision to also close the second Severn Crossing, the M4, from 3am on Monday.



Clouds gather over Portishead on the banks of the Severn Estuary near Bristol. An amber weather warning has been issued across large parts of the UK People gather to watch the rough seas in Cornwall yesterday morning. Winds are expected to leave a trail of destruction Waves crash near Brighton Pier in East Sussex, as England and Wales face a battering from the worst storm in a decade Daring: Surfers make the most of huge waves in Newquay, Cornwall, yesterday before the storm hits Bad hair day: A girl's long hair gets swept up in the wind as she walks along Brighton Beach yesterday afternoon High tide: Waves as high as 25ft crashed against the shoreline along Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall The Prime Minister held an emergency meeting yesterday morning with ministers and agencies to co-ordinate plans to protect public from the storm East Coast is operating an extreme weather timetable and c2c is expected to run an amended timetable with trains running at reduced speeds. First Great Western, Southern and Gatwick Express said they may run an amended service. South West Trains said it expected an amended timetable. The Chiltern train company said a 50mph speed limit will be applied to the Chiltern route from 5.30am tomorrow until the winds die down.

About 60 flights have been cancelled at London Heathrow Airport tomorrow. Some 30 flights will be cancelled from 6-11am, 20 from 11am-4pm and 10 from 4-10.30pm. British Airways said it would cancel some short-haul flights but hoped long-haul services in and out of the airport would continue as normal. Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports urged passengers to keep up to date with their flights' status, but there were no cancellations by 7.30pm tonight. Budget airline easyJet warned passengers there could be disruption to flights on Monday. It added that it had been advised there would be no trains running to Gatwick, Southend, Stansted or Luton airports before 9am on Monday. After this time, the schedule will be reduced.

Ferry services between Plymouth and Roscoff and Penzance and the Isles of Scilly were cancelled. Service on Hovertravel between Ryde and Southsea has been suspended. Forecast: These graphics show the yellow warnings for Sunday (left) and Monday, the amber alert for Monday (centre) and the timing of the strongest winds (right)

Slippery: A child plays on Brighton beach in stormy conditions. Millions of people have been told to brace themselves for what is predicted to be a severe storm Getting wet: West Bay in Dorset, just miles from where a photographer is feared to have been swept out to sea at Lyme Regis Write-off: A fallen tree completely wrecked this Volkswagen Polo vehicle in Archway, north London, ahead of the severe storm approaching Britain Adventurous: Surfers have fun in the sea off Newquay in Cornwall despite the severe warnings which were announced yesterday by the Met Office Dramatic: People gather to watch the stormy waves off Fistral Beach in Newquay in Cornwall People stop to look at the stormy seas off Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall. Millions of people in parts of the UK have been told to brace themselves for what is predicted to be one of the worst storms for years The storm in coming: Two men watch as as huge waves crash against a sea wall in Aberystwyth, Wales, yesterday afternoon A man takes photographs of breaking waves at Porthleven Harbour in Cornwall ahead of the storm called St Jude And all Condor Ferries sailings between Poole and Weymouth to Guernsey and Jersey were cancelled. Up to 3,000 cruise ship passengers will ride out the storm on board a £500million luxury cruise ship docked in Southampton. The Crown Princess was due to depart on Saturday afternoon. However, due to the winds being forecast, Princess Cruises has suspended the service. The 113,000-tonne, 950ft-long cruise ship has room for 3,080 passengers and contains nearly 900 balconies.

Police said the missing teenager got into difficulty at about 4.15pm while swimming with friends near the shore at West Beach, Newhaven. A Sussex Police spokesman said: ‘This is a very distressing incident and everything possible is being done to try to find the boy. The high winds caused an 89ft wind turbine to blow over in a field at Higher Rixdale Farm at Luton, near Teignmouth, Devon.

Choppy: Waves crash into Brighton beach as the storm begins to form out at sea

Strong waves: A train is struck by waves as it passes through the Dawlish Station in Devon Rough seas at Porthleven, in Cornwall, batter the coastline last night ahead of the 'worst storm in decades'

Fierce waves: A man walks his dog along the beach as waves hit the seafront in Brighton yesterday morning. Britain is bracing itself for the worst storm of the decade The calm before the storm: Seas become increasingly rough and skies darken over Clevedon near Bristol yesterday morning as the west country prepares itself for a battering by a storm which forecasters believe could be the worst in years Brace yourselves: Waves crash against the marina walls in Brighton yesterday morning. Britain is being hit by 90mph winds and heavy rain People watch rough seas in the harbour at Porthleven, Cornwall, as England and Wales face a battering from the worst storm in five years, forecasters warn Friends gather at Porthleven, in Cornwall, to watch the waves break against the walls protecting the harbour against the waves

Rather you than me: A sailor braves strong winds in the Bristol Channel near Cardiff in south Wales yesterday morning despite choppy conditions

It also saw firefighters dismantle a smaller turbine from the roof of a house in Ilfracombe which was in ‘in a precarious position’.

STORM CAUSES TRAVEL CHAOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Public transport networks across the country are already being impacted by the adverse weather today with many services predicting potential further delays and even cancellations on Monday.

Trains: Most routes across central and southern England and Wales have been disrupted by the weather. The following train companies have been affected: Arriva Trains Wales; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Trains; Eurostar; First Hull Trains; First TransPennine Express; Grand Central; Heathrow Connect; Heathrow Express; London Midland; London Overground; Northern Rail; Virgin Trains; c2c; East Coast; First Capital Connect; First Great Western; Greater Anglia & Stansted Express; South West Trains, Southeastern and Southern & Gatwick Express.

Trains have been delayed between Shepperton and Twickenham because of a tree on the tracks at Hampton.

Ferry Services:

Ferry services have been cancelled between Plymouth and Roscoff and Penzance and the Isles of Scilly because of forecast storms.

Brittany Ferries has cancelled the 16:30 Sunday sailing from Roscoff to Plymouth and the 23:00 from Plymouth to Roscoff.

All crossings by the Scillonian ferry on Monday have been cancelled. The Fal River ferry in Cornwall has also been cancelled on Monday. Airlines:

About 60 flights have been cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport tomorrow due to the expected storm. Approximately 30 flights will be cancelled from 6-11am, 20 from 11am-4pm and 10 from 4-10.30pm. The cancellations are a combination of arrivals and departures. On an average day, 1,288 flights operate at Heathrow. British Airways said it would cancel some short-haul flights but hoped long-haul services in and out of the airport would continue as normal. Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports urged passengers to keep up to date with the status of their flights, although there were no cancellations by 7.30pm tonight. Roads:

The Queen Elizabeth II bridge on the M25, is expected to close in the very early hours of Monday morning The Sheppey crossing in Kent closed earlier. M48 suspension bridge is closed to all traffic from 7pm on Sunday. The second Severn Crossing, the M4, is closed from 3am on Monday.

Meanwhile, in nearby Cornwall, a family-of-four escaped unhurt after a tree crashed through their roof in Camborne at about 1am on Sunday.

Insurance companies have advised households to take steps to protect themselves and their property.

Direct Line said people should establish evacuation plans, place valuable items upstairs to limit flood damage and ensure gutters are clear so water can drain away.

The storm has been named St Jude after the patron saint of lost causes, whose feast day is tomorrow.

It will travel over the Atlantic and is expected to hit the South West late tonight before moving north-eastwards across England and southern Wales.

Heavy rain will accompany it, with strong winds in the early hours of tomorrow, but the storm is expected to move out over the North Sea by late morning, leaving strong breezes in its wake.

The Met Office described the storm as not one ‘you would see every year’ and said the expected wind strengths would be similar to storms in March 2008, January 2007 and October 2000.

Gusts of 115mph were recorded during the Great Storm of 1987, when 18 people died and thousands of homes were without power for several days.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning, meaning ‘be prepared’, for the southern half of England and the southern half of Wales.

It gave a lesser yellow warning, meaning ‘be aware’, for the rest of Wales and England up to the border with Scotland.

Meanwhile a canoeist who was pulled from a swollen river after capsizing has died.

The accident happened at around 2pm on Saturday near the suspension bridge over the River Tees at Whorlton Lido, near Barnard Castle in County Durham.

The 47-year-old victim is believed to have been pulled from the river by another canoeist before being given CPR at the side of the river.

He was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but was pronounced dead at 7.30am today.

Search and rescue teams began looking for a photographer feared to have been washed off the Cobb wall at Lyme Regis in Dorset.

A witness said a man was taking photos of the waves before he was swept out to sea. The coastguard carried out a search from 6pm yesterday but no-one has been reported missing.

A coastguard helicopter and a RNLI lifeboat have now been stood down.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency urged anyone who was taking photographs yesterday at that site between 5.30pm and 6pm to get in contact.

Meanwhile the hunt continues for a fisherman who is feared to have been swept away in a storm-swollen river in Berkshire.

Special notice: Train information boards warning of affected services due to overnight severe weather at Euston Station in Central London

A helicopter was called out to search for a photographer feared to have been swept out to sea when he was taking photographs on a Cobb wall in Lyme Regis in Dorset

Warning signs: Traffic signs warning of strong winds on the A5 motorway, Staffordshire, as England and Wales face a battering from the worst storm in five years Stormy: A kite-surfer makes the most of the stormy conditions in Newquay, Cornwall, as meteorologists warn of fierce winds of up to 80mph and torrential rain hitting the UK Up in the air: Windsurfers off the coast near Christchurch, Dorset, pictured left, take advantage of gale force winds before storm St. Jude hits the South West coast of the UK while a very brave swimmer, pictured right, takes a dip in Brighton



Too close for comfort: A man looks at a huge wave as it breaks inside the harbour at Porthleven, Cornwall

Waves pound against Brighton Beach's sea defences yesterday morning as the UK prepares for one of the worst storms in a decade

Portleven in Cornwall braces itself for high winds and rain yesterday morning when the storm reaches its peak

Emergency services searched the river banks for clues to what happened to Steven Stringer, 62, from Basingstoke.

He was last seen fishing on the River Kennet at Theale, three miles upstream from where it flows into the Thames at Reading.

The hunt began on Saturday as the river levels continued to rise with more and more heavy rain falling.

The last definite sighting of him was at 5pm on Friday by someone who saw him fishing where the Kennet flows close to Wigmore Lane in Theale.

With gales lashing the area, fire crews including a water rescue unit and control vehicle from Caversham Road were joined by Thames Valley Police divers.

As they searched along the river with police dogs, the National Police Air Service helicopter hovered overhead with a spotlight and thermal imaging equipment.

Braving the elements: A father holds his children's hands along the Sussex coast and the wild waves crash onto the shoreline

A view of the cliff tops along along the south coast of England at Peacehaven, close to Brighton, Sussex

Brave: A photographer takes a risk to get good shots of the storm waves along the coastline of South Wales this morning



Autumnal leaves are blown up in the air as shoppers walk through the Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham yesterday morning

Dramatic waves smash into the pier at Porthleven, Cornwall, as the UK prepares for the worse storm in years. An amber weather warning has been issued

Huge waves could lash parts of the South Coast, more than two inches of rain could cause surface flooding

Calm before the storm: A ray of sunlight peeps through angry looking clouds over Brighton Pier yesterday morning

Police also carried out door-to-door enquiries along Wigmore Lane, where the swollen roiver swirls to depths of more than 15ft.

John Murby, fire brigade spokesman, said: 'There was some fishing gear that had been left unattended, and we searched up and downstream but weren't able to find the man in the river.'

Mr Stringer is 5ft 11ins tall with short white hair and a beard and was wearing his favourite fishing jacket.

Detective Inspector Laura Macinnes said: 'I would urge anyone who was in the Wigmore Lane area who may have seen Mr Stringer, or anyone with any information about Mr Stringer's whereabouts to contact Thames Valley Police immediately.'

Frank Saunders, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: ‘We are confident that a severe storm will affect Britain on Sunday night and Monday.

‘We are now looking at refining the details about which areas will see the strongest winds and the heaviest rain.



Struggle: A woman battles with an umbrella on Butser Hill, Hampshire, as Britain braces its self for the worst storms since 1987 High winds in Littlehampton ruined a bonfire night resulting in stacks of wood and debris being blown around on the seafront ‘This is a developing situation and we'd advise people to stay up to date with our forecasts and warnings over the weekend, and be prepared to change their plans if necessary. ‘We'll continue to work closely with authorities and emergency services to ensure they are aware of the expected conditions.’ Atlantic storms of this type usually develop further west across the ocean, losing strength by the time they reach the UK and Ireland. But this is expected to appear much closer to land, potentially moving across the country while in its most powerful phase. A strong jet stream and warm air close to the UK are contributing to its development and strength. Chris Burton, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: ‘We are going to see some heavy and persistent rain heading north across England and Wales overnight from early this evening, from the South West.

‘As the rain pushes north the winds will pick up, and by midnight there should be gusts of about 60mph across south-west England.

‘Through the early hours much of southern England will see winds of 60-80mph, maybe closer to 90mph in exposed areas on the south coast.

A major search is underway for a missing fisherman as fears grow for his welfare. Steven Stringer has not been seen since he was spotted at the riverbank to the River Kennet in Theale, near Reading, Berkshire, at 5pm on Friday

‘Further north, in south Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia these will be between 50mph and 70mph.

‘The storm is going to move through very quickly, and as we go into Monday morning the winds will ease off from the South West, and by lunchtime most areas will start to see the winds ease off and die down.

‘Rains will also clear through to the east through the morning, leaving a few showers in the afternoon.’

The Prime Minister chaired a conference call with various Government departments and agencies this morning on plans to protect people from the storm.

Transport ministers, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office updated Mr Cameron on preparations and contingency plans for transport, local authorities, schools, health and power supplies.

He was told that the storm could have a widespread impact but plans were in place to respond.

The Environment Agency has teams working to minimise river flood risk, clearing debris from streams and unblocking culverts, and closely monitoring water levels so they are ready to issue flood warnings if necessary.

Martin Hobbs, head of asset resilience at the Highways Agency, said: ‘Be aware of sudden gusts of wind and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, motorbikes and bicycles plenty of space.’

The Local Government Association said local authorities would divert staff from their normal duties to help out with emergency relief efforts if required.

They have found emergency accommodation should families be evacuated from their homes and highways teams are on stand-by to rescue stranded motorists and clear debris from roads.

Network Rail warned there is likely to be disruption to trains from fallen trees and localised flooding tomorrow if the forecasts prove to be accurate.

Home insurers were bracing themselves for the prospect of a high number of storm damage claims.

Rob Townend, claims director at Aviva, said: ‘We have drafted in extra staff into our contact centres so we are poised and ready to help all those who might need us if the worst happens.’

The Great Storm of 1987: Claimed 18 lives, flattened 15 million trees and caused damage costing £1.5billion

The Great Storm which battered England and Wales in 1987 was the worst storm to hit south-east Britain in over 300 years.

In the early hours of October 16 winds peaked at more than 120mph, killing 18 people, damaging buildings and felling 15 million trees in the south east of England.



Millions of homes were left without power for at least a few hours, with some having no electricity for days as trees fell on power lines, disrupting supplies.

Damage: An uprooted tree lies across a car in London after the Great Storm on October 15, 1987, which claimed 18 lives