Storm wreaks havoc across Britain, France and the Netherlands

Hurricane-strength winds battered Britain, France and the Netherlands yesterday, killing five people, cutting power and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and train journeys before the storm barrelled further into mainland Europe.

Gusts of up to 160 km/h lashed southern England and Wales in the worst storm recorded in Britain in a decade, while Denmark and Sweden were bracing for the impact there.

A 17-year-old girl died when a tree fell onto her home while she slept in Kent, southeast of London, while a man in his 50s was killed when a tree crushed his car in Watford, north of the capital.

A man and a woman were found dead in west London after several houses were damaged in a suspected gas explosion on a street where the storm blew a tree down. London police said the tree may have damaged gas pipes, causing the explosion.

A crane smashed into the Cabinet Office, a ministry in the heart of London, forcing Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to cancel a news conference.

Thin volumes on London's financial markets suggested many traders had been stuck at home, along with millions of other commuters who would normally head into London.

Heavy winds also swept across the low-lying Netherlands, shutting down all train traffic to Amsterdam. Hurricane-force winds of more than 150 km/h were recorded on one of the islands off the northern Dutch coast.