96mph gust recorded at height of Storm Darragh

No-one was injured in this collision in Cornwall said police

Storm Darragh is bringing disruption to travellers and tens of thousands of people are without power.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said there were no services between Plymouth and Penzance until at least 16:00 GMT.

More than 12,300 properties were without power in Cornwall, along with more than 12,500 in Devon, National Grid reported at 17:15.

There was a 96mph gust at Berry Head near Torquay in Devon on Saturday, the highest wind speed recorded at that spot, said BBC South West forecaster Alex Osborne.

William Prance Road, which was blocked by a fallen tree, has now been reopened

Many roads are still blocked by trees and a car was severely damaged by a fallen tree in Cornwall, but there were no injuries.

A yellow warning for wind remains in force across Devon and Cornwall and much of England and Wales until 18:00 GMT.

Gusts of wind were still hitting about 50mph (80km/h) in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Sunday afternoon, but the wind is expected to ease.

Cornwall Council said 180 fallen trees had closed 35 roads.

Big top destroyed

Police dealt with a collision involving a car and a tree on the A39 at Perranaworthal in Cornwall on Saturday night, which left the car windscreen smashed.

No-one was injured and the road has been reopened.

Bude Leisure Centre in Cornwall remains closed because of roof damage caused by the storm.

GWR has confirmed that the Barnstaple and Okehampton lines and Cornwall branch lines remain closed until at least 16:00 GMT and that the sleeper train to Paddington on Sunday night has been cancelled.

A big top due to host children's shows lies in tatters

Children's theatre company Soapbox lost its big top to the storm, with the tent in Devonport Park, Plymouth, left in shreds.

The big top had been due to host 26 children's shows between now and Christmas Eve.

But the storm ripped into the material on Saturday before it could be taken down.

It has now been removed by Soapbox which is planning to hold the shows at its indoor venue, next to where the big top stood.

The big top is taken down

Iain Slade of the Stiltskin theatre company and producer of Soapbox, said: "It's terrible, we watched the small rip appear in the tent, and it just got bigger and bigger.

"The winds were too strong for us to do anything about it safely, so we had to leave the tent up and hope for the best."

He said despite forecasts of the storm, it had been "too late" to take the tent down beforehand.

"It took four days to get all the infrastructure into the tent, and by the time we heard that the storm was coming, it was too late to take the tent down, because we would have to take everything out and lay the tent down on the ground," he said.

"So we had to buckle up and hope for the best."

'200,000 homes without power'

Deb Knowles who lives near Exton said she felt "frustrated" and "annoyed" after struggling to contact National Grid to report a power cut since 17:00 GMT on Saturday due to Storm Darragh.

She said: "I've been pretty much trying all night, all this morning, all day, to call the 105 number to report the outage, because on the website it's saying that there is no known outage, so I don't know if they know that we have nothing."

About 200,000 customers remained without power across the UK as of 09:00 on Sunday following the effects of Storm Darragh, the Energy Networks Association said.

The body said 88% of customers affected by the storm had been reconnected.

'Working around the clock'

A National Grid Electricity Distribution spokesperson said its teams were working hard to restore power to affected areas.

They said: "Strong winds and flying debris have damaged overhead power lines and equipment across the South West.

"Our teams are working around the clock in really challenging conditions. Just getting to some areas has been difficult, with flooding and fallen trees blocking roads.

"It's really important if you spot any fallen power lines or electricity poles – please stay clear and call us on 105. If you have a power cut, call us on the same number, 105, to let us know."

Safety advice

On Sunday night, Cornwall Council issued safety advice to residents without power.

The authority advised:

• Keep a torch or lantern ready and avoid using naked flames like candles

• Keep a battery or solar charger handy so you can charge your smart phone or tablet

• Make sure your method of heating is safe as gas heaters or open fires that haven't been used for a while may be unsafe, so also check your carbon monoxide alarm is working

• Test your smoke detector

• Keep your freezer shut - depending on your freezer, the contents could stay frozen for up to 12 hours