Gales cut power to 100,000 homes

More than 106,000 homes in the east and south-east of England suffered power cuts yesterday during a day of high winds and torrential rain.

More than 106,000 homes in the east and south-east of England suffered power cuts yesterday during a day of high winds and torrential rain.

Engineers were working last night to restore electricity to more than 40,000 customers still without electricity across Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Essex and Suffolk.

Throughout the day gusts of more than 40mph brought down power lines and trees causing the blackouts. Last night EDF Energy, the region's main electricity supplier, urged people to stay away from collapsed power lines.

In one incident a tree fell onto power cables at Boughton, near Canterbury in Kent, bringing traffic on the A2 to a standstill as sparks flew off the cable. Firefighters were called to make the area safe.

A South Eastern Trains spokeswoman said trees had blocked the tracks at Dover on the Charing Cross line, at Shortlands on the Bromley South to Victoria line, and at Abbeywood, on the Chatham to Charing Cross line.