(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) At least four people have been killed after a major storm battered Britain with high winds and heavy rain, leaving 600,000 homes without power and causing transport chaos.
British Prime Minister David Cameron described the multiple loss of life as a result of the storm as "hugely regrettable"
The deaths came as commuters across the southern part of Britain faced disruption on road, rail and air transport services after the storm battered the UK, bringing with it near-100mph winds
The weather system, dubbed the St Jude's day storm after the patron saint of lost causes and 'cases despaired of', whose feast day is today, has brought down trees across the region and according to overnight reports has damaged property and left many roads impassable through floodwater
The storm hit the South West late last night before tracking north eastwards across England and southern Wales throughout the morning
At its peak, a total of 600,000 homes were left without power as a result of the storm
According to the BBC, a spokesman for the Energy Networks Association, which represents power companies across the UK, said 310,000 of those households had now been reconnected, but admitted more homes have since been cut off as the storm moved north and eastwards. Around 130 flights were cancelled at Heathrow, and Network Rail has said there is disruption on all train services in and out of London as a result of the "worse than expected" conditions
Parts of the country remain on flood alert with the Environment Agency issuing 12 flood warnings for the South West, as well as 131 flood alerts for the rest of England and Wales
The public had been warned to expect the possibility of power cuts, trees blocking roads and transport disruption.
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