Storm Henk brings 94mph gusts and travel chaos

Waves smashed against the shore at Selsey

Storm Henk has been causing major disruption across the south of England where gusts reached 94mph (151kph).

The strongest winds were recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday afternoon.

Gusts of 67mph (108km/h) were also recorded at St Catherine's Point in Ventnor and a peak of 60mph (97km/h) was recorded at Bournemouth Airport.

Thousands of people endured travel misery when fallen trees blocked roads and rail lines.

Fields flooded alongside the River Thames near Little Wittenham in Oxfordshire

South Western Railway advised passengers not to travel, saying there were at least seven trees down on lines across the network, including one between Eastleigh and Romsey and another between Sunningdale and Ascot, with disruption expected until the end of the day.

The A35 Christchurch Bypass was closed both ways due to a fallen tree between Bargates and Purewell Cross Road, leading to major traffic congestion, and Matchams Lane was also at a standstill due to a fallen tree at Avon Causeway.

Tree surgeons cleared debris from Matchams Lane and Hurn Road

Patients and staff trying to leave Royal Bournemouth Hospital were also caught up in the traffic problems as the knock-on effect spread across the conurbation.

The hospital trust urged drivers not to use Densleigh Road roundabout to jump the queue as it was blocking the hospital exit.

The A35 in Poole was closed due to an unsafe structure

Red Jet catamaran services between Southampton and Isle of Wight were cancelled and the Sandbanks chain ferry was also temporarily suspended.

In Poole, an unsafe structure forced the closure of the A35 at North Road. The fire service said the object - seen dangling from scaffolding - had been secured but the road would remain closed until it could be removed on Wednesday.

Drivers had a lucky escape in Romsey Road in Winchester

Numerous other fallen trees also caused congestion, including one that blocked one lane of the northbound M3 between junctions 9 and 8. It has since been cleared.

Traffic was also affected by fallen trees which narrowly missed cars Romsey Road in Winchester and on the southbound A34 at Winnal.

A weeping willow tree narrowly missed a house

Bracknell Forest Council said its staff were "very busy" clearing roads in the Berkshire borough, including London Road in Winkfield, which was blocked by a large tree.

Tim Naylor from Frith End, near Bordon, Hampshire, said the winds brought down a weeping willow tree in his garden.

He said: "Luckily the main trunk fell neatly between our stream and a newly built shed, missing the house one side and the road on the other."

A number of rural roads in Dorset were blocked

Numerous flood warnings remained in place on Tuesday evening, including 10 in Dorset, seven in Hampshire and nine in Oxfordshire.

Lower Road in Stalbridge, Dorset, was impassable due to flooding and the A31 Mill Street was partially blocked near the Coventry Arms junction, with queuing traffic made worse by roadworks and temporary traffic lights.

Some attractions were forced to close, including Bournemouth and Boscombe piers and Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens.

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