WINCHESTER continues to be battered by strong winds after Storm Eleanor brought down a tree on busy city road.

The fallen tree is currently blocking Worthy Road (B3047) in Abbotts Barton, with the road closed in both directions.

Drivers are facing long delays back to Stoke Road after the tree coming down shortly after 8am.

It follows delays on the A272 between Winchester and Petersfield after a tree blocked the road at New Cheriton during the morning rush hour.

The incidents happened as thousands of homes have been left without power as Storm Eleanor hit Britain with winds of up to 80mph.

Forecasters warned lives could be at risk from flying debris as the fifth-named storm of the season arrived on Tuesday evening.

In England nearly 2,000 homes were hit by power cuts in the Midlands, as well as around 700 in the South West and 460 in Wales.

The Environment Agency issued 65 flood warnings and dozens of alerts across the country.

Vince Crane, of the AA, advised drivers to take extra care in the worsening conditions.

He said: "Road conditions can quickly deteriorate during very heavy rainfall, with drains becoming swamped or blocked and standing water causing surface spray, reduced visibility and potentially leading to flooding.

"Drivers will need to take extra care and expect delays, even on motorways.

"Strong or sudden gusts of wind are more likely on open stretches of road, when passing bridges or gaps in hedges, or when overtaking high-sided vehicles."

A 24-hour yellow weather warning covering Wales, England, most of Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland was put in place on Tuesday evening, expect to last until 6pm on Wednesday.

Meteorologist Emma Sharples said: "There is likely to be some disruption possibly to public transport, bridges and other public services such as mobile phones and people need to be aware that there could be debris as well."