Storm Ali: Strong winds cause havoc in Cumbria

Drivers were asked to leave the M6 at J43, follow diversions and rejoin the motorway at J44

Storm Ali has left thousands of homes in Cumbria without power, disrupted rail services and blown over a lorry on a motorway.

The lorry blocked the northbound M6 between junctions 43 and 44. All lanes have now reopened.

A total of 6,650 properties had lost power because of 25 separate faults including in Wigton, Aspatria and Penrith, Electricity North West said.

Storm Ali has brought winds of up to 80mph to the UK.

It has led to trees being brought down across the county.

And trains have also been delayed or suspended, with TransPennine Express and Virgin Trains services on the West Coast mainline affected.

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Fallen trees have blocked railway lines, including on the Settle-Carlisle line between Appleby and Skipton, and branches are hanging close to overhead power lines.

More than 2,500 properties which lost power earlier have had their supply restored.

This tree on the Penrith road between Ivegill and Durdar was one of a number to be felled by Storn Ali

Sam Loukes, incident manager for the electrical firm, said all supplies would be restored "as soon as possible as long as it's safe for our teams to climb our poles to rebuild lines where necessary".

A Met Office amber weather warning was in force until 18:00 BST with a yellow warning in place until 22:00.

A tree fell on the A591 between Keswick and Grasmere