Two die as storm hits southern UK

A teenager in Kent and a man in Watford have been killed by falling trees as a storm batters parts of Britain.
Around 270,000 homes are without power, while rail services across much of southern Britain have been cancelled as high winds brought down trees.
Network Rail said the damage was "worse than expected," while 130 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow airport.
The Met Office said a gustof 99mph (159km/h) was recorded at Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight, at 05:00 GMT.
A 17-year-old girl suffered fatal injurieswhen the tree came down where she was sleeping in Hever, Edenbridge, at about 07:20 GMT.
A man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the sceneafter a tree crushed a red Peugot 307 at Lower High Street in Watford, Hertfordshire, at 6:50 GMT. Next-of-kin have been informed.
BBC forecaster Steve Cleeton said the storm was "pretty much over" in the UK.
The Environment Agency has issued 12 flood warnings- in south-west England, East Anglia and the Midlands, there are also 132 flood alerts across England and Wales.
UK Energy Networks, which represents power companies across the UK, confirmed 270,000 homes are without power.
A spokesman said 30,000 people who lost power earlier had been reconnected, but more people had been cut off as the storm moved north and eastwards.
Network Rail said more than 100 fallen trees have been found on lines, and several hundred staff have been working to monitor conditions and react to any damage.
Robin Gisby, Network Rail's managing director of network operations, said: "While conditions were as forecast during the early part of the morning, the damage caused by the storm has been more severe than expected as it has tracked eastwards to the north of London and across to East Anglia.
"As a result, the West Coast, East Coast and Midland main lines are all currently blocked at their southern ends as a result of fallen trees and damage to power lines and all services are currently suspended on the Anglia route, where the storm is currently."
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, said the deaths caused by the storm were "hugely regrettable".
"We have to make sure the emergency services can act as fast as they can to help people."
A tree collapsed causing a gas main to rupture and led to a possible gas explosion in Hounslow, west London
Scaffolding in Leyton, east London, was unable to withstand the strong winds
In other developments:
*.Three houses have collapsed and two others have been damaged following a gas explosion caused by a fallen tree on Bath Road in Hounslow, London Fire Brigade says. Three people escaped before firefighters arrived and an elderly woman was taken to hospital
*. Coastguards say they will not start searching for the 14-year- old boy- who has been named as Dylan Alkins - who was swept away in Newhaven, East Sussex on Sunday
*.A double-decker bus "rolled over" in Suffolk, injuring the driver and several passengers. Witnesses told police the vehicle blew over at 08:00 GMT, rolling onto its side and coming to a stop in a field in Hadleigh
*.Both reactors in Dungeness power station's B units have been automatically shut down after power to the site was cut off. The site's own generators are providing power to the site
*.The Metropolitan Police says it received 792 calls to its 101 and 999 numbers between 06:00 and 08:00 GMT, compared with the 200 it would normally expect. The most common call was for "tree in road"
*.Sussex Police say 125 trees have fallen across Sussex - including one on a taxi in Eastbourne, from which the driver climbed out uninjured
*.The helter-skelter at Clacton Pier in Essexhas blown down, but the structure has not fallen into the sea
*.London Mayor Boris Johnson has chaired an emergency resilience meeting involving all emergency services and relevant agencies - and later made a statement thanking them for their hard work "dealing with one of the fiercest storms of the last few years"
*.Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has cancelled his monthly press conference because of a crane collapsed on the roofof the Cabinet Office
Rush hour at Charing Cross station in London is unusually quiet
There have been reported gusts in excess of 80mph on the English Channel - police have warned people to stay away from the sea. These would-be swimmers heeded that advice and opted not to enter the water
Many trees have fallen, including this one in Islington, north London
Commuters have faced a tricky start to the week - like these people queuing in Balham in south London
Other travel warnings include:
*. South West Trainssays it is hoping to gradually get services back to normal as conditions ease
*. East Coasthas no trains running south of Peterborough due to flooding in the tunnel at Potters Bar, and trees on the line at Barnet and Hertford. It is advising people not to travel
*. First Great Westernsays it is running services on most routes, with delays and alterations.

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