Storm Eunice: at least four dead as worst storm in decades roars in

Millions experienced severe disruption as record-breaking winds from Storm Eunice caused death and injury, huge structural damage, transport chaos and widespread power cuts.

The disruption closed thousands of schools and businesses. About 435,000 homes were left without power early on Friday evening. Hundreds of train services and flights were cancelled, and major roads closed.

A woman in her 30s was killed when a tree fell on a car in Haringey, north London, while a council employee in his 60s was killed by a falling tree in County Wexford, south-east Ireland, as he worked during the storm.

Later, Merseyside police said a man in his 50s had died in Netherton after debris struck the windscreen of a vehicle he was travelling in. Hampshire constabulary also confirmed that a man in his 20s died when the car he was travelling in hit a tree. A second man is being treated for serious injuries in hospital.

Five people have died in mainland Europe after the storm made landfall there, including a 79-year-old British man in the Belgian city of Ypres.

Buildings ranging from the lifeboat station at Sennen on the western tip of Cornwall to the Millennium Dome in London sustained damage. About 1,000 people were evacuated from the Dome as panels were ripped off by the storm.

The top of a church spire in Wells, Somerset, was toppled by gusts and a tower at Grain power station in Kent appeared to have collapsed.

A beloved tree on a square in Bude, north Cornwall, crashed to the ground, one of many hundreds across southern Britain that fell, blocking roads and bringing down power lines.

Before Friday, the strongest gust recorded in England was 118mph at Gwennap Head in Cornwall on 15 December 1979. As well as the 122mph gust on the Isle of Wight, there were blasts of 70-80mph widely across southern Britain.

Eunice brought many transport services to a standstill. Trains were cancelled throughout Wales and in other areas, with 50mph speed restrictions in many places. Services into London stations, including Waterloo and later Euston, were suspended for parts of the day.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled by British Airways and others, and some arrivals were diverted or took several attempts to land at Heathrow and Gatwick airports in high winds.

The Energy Network Association said at 4pm the network companies had reconnected more than 711,000 customers, but about 435,000 customers were still without power.

Sports matches and shows were cancelled and some holidaymakers, including in Newquay, north Cornwall, had to evacuate or retreat inland.

Some people hoping to hunker down with a takeaway during the storm were also disappointed. Deliveroo, JustEat and UberEats paused deliveries in affected areas, including London, Wales and parts of the south-east and west, owing to fears for the safety of their riders.