Storm Eunice: Man killed and two seriously injured

A man has been killed by a falling tree that crushed a van as Storm Eunice swept through the south of England.

Two men in their 20s were in the vehicle, with the driver seriously injured and the passenger pronounced dead at the scene in Old Odiham Road, Alton, Hampshire.

A woman was also seriously injured by flying debris from a roof in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Gusts of up to 122mph were recorded on the Isle of Wight by the Met Office.

Hampshire Constabulary said the incident in Alton took place at about 11:49 GMT and involved a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

The police, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) were all at the scene. The driver has been taken to Southampton General Hospital.

The next of kin for both men have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

A woman was struck by debris in Station Road, Henley-on-Thames

Paramedics also attended the incident in Station Road in Henley-on-Thames, as did the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

The woman was taken to the major trauma centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

SCAS has also declared a critical incident because of the amount of demand on its services.

Paul Jefferies, assistant director of operations, said there would be "unavoidable delays in getting to those patients with less urgent needs".

A number of flood warnings are currently in place in Dorset and Hampshire.

Reading's Cartwheeling Boys statues have collapsed in a pile of rubble

In Gosport, resident Adam Collins said it "sounded like a car crash" as a roof was ripped from a block of flats at about 12:00.

Friday's Championship fixture between Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest was postponed following storm damage to sections of roofing at the Vitality Stadium.

Police on the Isle of Wight reported a tree had come down on to a car, cars had been blown off the road and a number of power cuts.

In Reading, police have been at the site of The Cartwheeling Boys statue, which has collapsed in a pile of rubble.

Reading Borough Council said it had collected the pieces and would "assess how it can be restored".

The de Havilland Venom plane outside Grove Business Park, a local landmark in Oxfordshire, was blown down by the high winds.

Cladding on Evenlode Tower at Blackbird Leys in Oxford has also come loose as a result of the storm.

Oxford City Council, which owns the tower, said contractors were on site and the road from the corner of Cuddesdon Way to Pegasus Road has been closed as a precaution.

Resident Bob Davies said: "It's quite worrying to be honest. It's very high wind. If you're there at the peak of the highest gushes of wind you can feel the tower block moving.

"My wife felt it and I've felt it since coming home from work as well. It's not too comfortable to be honest."

Meanwhile, parts of the roof of an aircraft hangar at RAF Brize Norton were ripped apart.

A spokeswoman said: "A clean up operation will commence once the storm subsides and it is safe to do so.

"There is no immediate operational impact. We would advise the public to be extra vigilant or if possible avoid the area."

Huge waves were seen at Lyme Regis in Dorset

About 15 vehicles were damaged by falling scaffolding at a car showroom in Kidlington.

A spokesperson for Mercedes said it had "taken measures to secure" all of its sites and to "keep our people safe".

Gusts of up 122mph have been recorded at exposed site the Needles on the Isle of Wight, which is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England, according to the Met Office.

An amber warning for wind is in place for much of the rest of England until 21:00.

In Dorset, the Sandbanks ferry between Poole and Studland has been cancelled.

The de Havilland Venom plane outside Grove Business Park collapsed in high winds

All Red Funnel ferry services between Southampton and Cowes, Isle of Wight, are currently suspended.

Red Funnel praised one its captains for safely berthing one of its ferries after a video of the vessel struggling in high winds at Southampton's ferry terminal was posted on social media.

Leanna Lakes, the firm's operations director, said: "On returning to Southampton with no passengers on board, Red Falcon approached the berth and experienced gusts of 80 knots causing the vessel to set down quickly onto the berth.

"Our highly trained captain ensured the vessel was controlled throughout and berthed safely.

"No damage was sustained to either the vessel or shoreside infrastructure, testament to his excellent ship handling skills."

Wightlink's Lymington to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, service has also been suspended.

Brittany Ferries said services to and from the UK were running to schedule.

Motorists have been asked to avoid Shore Road in Sandbanks which has started to flood

Train companies have advised passengers not to travel.

South Western Railway has suspended all its services due to multiple trees falling and blocking the line.

Chiltern Railways has also suspended all of it services after a roof of a building was blown on to the tracks at Banbury railway station in Oxfordshire. Network Rail is trying to remove the debris in a bid to reopen the line.

While Great Western Railway said the majority of services were being suspended due to worsening conditions.

The train company is allowing customers with tickets for Friday to travel up to and including Monday.

Gusts of up 122mph have been recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight

In Hampshire, a fallen tree has blocked part of the M271 northbound, just before junction 1, Southampton Travel said.

There have also been widespread reports of trees down elsewhere in the region, and several areas across the South are without power.

They include between Hungerford and Newbury in Berkshire. Other parts of Pangbourne, Tadley and Twyford in the county are affected.

Other cuts have been reported on the Isle of Wight, in Ringwood in Hampshire and across Dorset.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said the storm "caused significant damage to our infrastructure due to fallen and uprooted trees and windborne debris".

It said as of 16:00 GMT 120,000 customers had no supply.

Richard Gough, director of distribution system operations, described Eunice as the "most significant storm to hit the south of England in decades".

The roof a building blew on to tracks at Banbury railway station

In a message sent to parents, Hampshire County Council said the decision to close schools was taken at 05:00 GMT on Friday, following the new red warning.

"With the Met Office warning of significant risk to life, we feel this is the only safe option," the council said.

Dorset Council said it had taken the decision "to put threat to life above some continuation of services".

It told residents there would be further disruption as a number of services, including council transport and bin collections, were also suspended.

Meanwhile, BCP Council has advised schools to take a "blended learning approach" on Friday.

It suggested children of keyworkers and those in examination years study at school where it was safe to do so.

Where there was "insufficient staff in place for children to learn safely at school" it recommended those schools apply remote learning for the day.

A school catering firm in Bournemouth is offering 2,700 meals, that are set to go to waste, to charity.

Workers removing a tree in Havenstreet on the Isle of Wight

Portsmouth University buildings have also been affected by storm damage.

Staff and students inside have been given a "strong recommendation" to stay put "until the storm peak has passed as the wind is very strong".

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Bernie Topham said the estates team was "dealing with these incidents and monitoring the situation".

The University of Reading said it was closing all three of its campuses and Bournemouth University has also confirmed it has closed.  

Slough Borough Council said the fire service was attending a scene in the town where glass fell out of an overbridge onto Brunel Way.

A tree collapsed near to a new block of flats in Southbourne, Bournemouth

Oxford's Natural History Museum said it had also had to take precautions because of its historic glass-tiled roof.

It has closed its main court as a safety precaution, which includes its dinosaur displays.

Several attractions including Monkey World Dorset, Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, Cotswold Wildlife Park and Millets Farm Centre in Frilford, Oxfordshire, have also shut.

Covid-19 vaccination centres in Oxford and Reading are shut.

Any appointments will be rebooked and normal opening hours are expected to resume on Saturday.

The drive-through Covid swabbing centres at the Royal Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch hospitals will also remain closed.

University Hospitals Dorset has asked patients to attend hospital appointments only if it is safe to do so.

A tree has fallen on Banbury Road, one of Oxford's main routes

Southampton's Itchen Bridge is currently closed to vehicles and pedestrians.

Hampshire police said some people were still attempting to cross it and were being turned away by officers.

The National Coastwatch stations at Portland and Needles are also closed.

The departure of HMS Diamond has also been delayed. It was due to leave Portsmouth for the Eastern Mediterranean to join Nato's defences.

HM Coastguard advised people to stay away from the coast after multiple reports of "people at the waterline taking pictures of the waves, and even of families standing by the surf line with their children".

"A dramatic photograph or selfie is not worth risking your life for and those who are going to the coast to take pictures are also putting our teams at risk," it said.