March winds cause road chaos

London and the South-East were today buffeted by a massive storm which brought torrential rain and winds of up to 90mph.

As much rain as is normally seen in two weeks was expected to have fallen by this evening. Together, the conditions brought chaos to the roads during the morning rush-hour. On the M25, the QEII bridge at Dartford had to be closed for safety reasons, causing three-mile tailbacks in both directions before 7am.

There were also many reports of fallen trees blocking roads in Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire. Local mainline rail services into Waterloo were delayed when a train hit a tree which had been blown across the tracks at Kempton Park.

Forecasters warned of flooding risk, while the force of the wind - gusts of more than 90mph were recorded on the South coast - meant damage to homes.

Met Office forecaster Frank Saunders said: "There is an Atlantic storm that is not only brewing, it is brewed and it's here." He added that the main problem would be the wind.

The storm is expected to peak by lunchtime, with conditions slowly improving by this evening. However, temperatures are poised to fall, with frost and possibly snow predicted for the weekend.