STORMS battered Bolton yesterday as wild weather continued to wreak havoc across the North-west.

Storm-force winds, reaching speeds of 60mph, prompted highways chiefs to issue a warning to drivers to take extra care while travelling on the region's motorways.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency website was highlighting areas in the borough at risk of flooding, including parts of Darcy Lever, Burnden and Lostock.

Forecasters predicted more strong winds and heavy rain today but MeteoGroup forecaster Michael Dukes said an area of low pressure from the Atlantic, which was responsible for the current weather, was expected to move towards Scandinavia reducing wind speeds.

Up to 15,000 homes in the North-west were affected by power cuts, with Cumbria the worst hit, leaving United Utilities chiefs battling to handle a deluge of calls. A mother narrowly missed being crushed by a tree when it fell on her car, which was parked in Upper Park Road, Salford, minutes after she had parked to take her child to school.

Across the UK, more than 170 areas were put on flood alert, while gales reached speeds of 90mph.

Rail operators reported trees falling on to lines and gusts ripped off part of the canopy at one London station.

The Environment Agency, which covers England and Wales, had 55 flood warnings in place and 118 less severe "flood watch" alerts in place.

Sailings with P&O Ferries and SeaFrance to Calais, Norfolkline to Dunkirk and Speedferries to Boulogne were suspended.

On the A628 Woodhead Pass, between Sheffield and Manchester, a lorry driver stopped to rescue a colleague whose vehicle had blown over only to see his own cab toppled by high winds.

The two lorries were travelling in convoy, when the first one, driven by a 38-year-old man from Wentworth, was blown over into a ditch and the cab began to fill with water.

The 34-year-old driver of the second lorry, from Sheffield, stopped to help. He pulled his colleague from the cab but his own vehicle was blown over, police said.

The Wentworth man suffered a leg injury in the incident and was taken to Barnsley District General Hospital, where he was discharged after treatment, police said.

Police closed the Woodhead Pass for part as the day.

In Somerset, a man died when a tree collapsed on the car he was travelling in.

The tree is believed to have fallen on the car as it drove through the village of Britty Common, near Wellington.

Meanwhile visitors to Kew Gardens in south-west London were evacuated and the site closed after reports that trees had been blown over in high winds.

Despite the high winds, temperatures yesterday were highly unseasonal for January at 8C to 14C (46F to 57F) in England and Wales.

  • Rescue services were yesterday searching for two trawlers missing off the south-west coast of Ireland with a total of nine men on board.