Storm Arwen: Three dead after 100mph winds and heavy snow hit UK

Men killed by falling trees as storm batters country

Three people were killed as Storm Arwen brought winds of nearly 100mph and heavy snow to the UK, tearing down trees, damaging buildings and leaving more than 150,000 homes without power.

Amber and yellow weather warnings remained in place across large parts of the country late on Saturday.

Some regions of England and Scotland saw snow and the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for ice in both countries.

A man from Lancaster died after a tree fell on him in the Lake District town of Ambleside, Cumbria Police said.

Another man, from Antrim in Northern Ireland was killed on Friday when a falling tree hit his car. Another, from Aberdeenshire, died in the same way at around 6pm on Friday.

The Met Office warned that the northeast and northwest of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands should expect the cold weather to last until Monday.

(AFP via Getty Images)

More than 120 lorries became stuck on the M62 near Rochdale on Friday night, forcing the closure of the motorway. North West Motorway Police said snow ploughs were deployed to clear the road.

Dorset Council reported road closures due to fallen trees and power cables.

High winds and fallen debris forced road closures in the worst-affected areas of Scotland, such as Inverbervie on the northeast coast where gusts reached 78mph.

Social media footage appeared to show a number of lorries and cars stuck on roads where snow had fallen, with ploughs being deployed in a number of areas.

Several train lines experienced cancellations and severe disruption in the wake of Storm Arwen. National Rail advised people to check before travelling.

Cars stuck in snow that fell overnight in Leek, Staffordshire (Reuters)

TransPennine Express customers were urged not to travel on Saturday, with services between Newcastle and Edinburgh cancelled. LNER said customers would not be able to travel north of York until Monday.

All Avanti West Coast services north of Carlisle on Saturday were cancelled, with severe delays elsewhere.

ScotRail services were also disrupted after a barn was blown on to the line at Polmont, near Falkirk.

A lorry blown over in high winds blocks the A179 near Hartlepool, as gusts reached nearly 100mph in the northeast (PA)

Homes across the UK were damaged as the gusts struck.

Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK's energy network operators, urged customers to stay clear of any fallen power lines and report them immediately.

A number of councils in Scotland reported power cuts, and Electricity North West responded to a high number of cuts affecting thousands of properties in Cumbria and Lancashire.

Northern Powergrid said severe gales had caused power cuts for more than 55,000 customers, mainly in Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said more than 100,000 homes were without power in the storm. It said it had restored service to 40,000 warned the weather was severely hampering its work.