Girl killed as storm in UK wreaks havoc
St Jude’s storm has left a teenage girl dead, hundreds of thousands of homes without power and transport chaos for rush-hour commuters.
The 17-year-old girl was killed in Hever, Kent, when hurricane-force conditions blew a tree on to the caravan where she was sleeping at 7.18am.
Kent Police said emergency services attended the scene but were unable to save the girl.
Up to 220,000 homes suffered power cuts as winds of almost 100mph battered the South West, South, South East, the Midlands and the East of England, UK Power Networks said.
Falling trees and other debris covering railway tracks caused travel misery for thousands of commuters, with trains and London Underground services suspended.
The port of Dover in Kent had to shut, more than 130 flights at Heathrow Airport were cancelled and many roads were impassable due to fallen trees.
One tree devastated three houses when it fell on a gas main and led to an explosion in Hounslow, west London.
