Two men killed by falling trees as Storm Boelo leaves 160,000 properties without power

- Published

Two men have been killed by falling trees on Sunday as Storm Boelo continues to bring severe weather to the UK.

A man in his 20s was pronounced dead in north London after the car he was driving was hit by a falling tree. It came hours after a 60-year-old man died in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

The harsh weather battering the UK had left 161,400 properties without power as of 15:00 GMT on Sunday afternoon, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said.

Those still without electricity have faced delays as the dangerous conditions were "limiting network engineers' opportunities to safely start the work", the ENA added.

The Metropolitan Police were called to Dollis Road in Finchley at around 12:40 GMT to reports a tree had fallen onto a moving car, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chief Inspector Guy Ellwood, from the North West Command Unit, said: "This is a deeply tragic incident and our thoughts are with the loved ones of the young man who lost his life."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said it sent incident response officers, paramedics from its hazardous area response team, and a trauma team from London's Air Ambulance to the scene.

Earlier, Police Scotland said a man died after being hit by a falling tree in southern near Castle Douglas.

During Storm Boelo and the earlier Storm Austen, which hit the UK on Friday, 838,700 properties across the country faced power cuts, according to the ENA.

Wind gusts peaked on Sunday morning at 85mph in Machrihanish, in Argyll and Bute, and 84mph in both Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, and Capel Curig in north Wales.

An amber wind warning issued by the Met Office was in place until 21:00 on Sunday across Scotland and parts of northern England.

A yellow warning that also covered other areas of the north of England, including Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as parts of the East and West Midlands and North Wales, also expired at 21:00.

The Met Office urged people to "stay indoors as much as possible", adding: "If you do go out, try not to walk, or shelter, close to buildings and trees."

The strongest gusts have continued to spread eastwards across the UK on Sunday.

Four flood warnings have been issued for parts of England and Wales on Sunday, while there are 17 flood warnings in place in Scotland.

High rainfall totals have been recorded in the Scottish Highlands, peaking in Cluanie Inn which received 130mm.

Scottish government ministers and officials gathered on Sunday afternoon to discuss the impact of Storm Boelo.

In a statement, the Scottish government said while conditions may ease later on Sunday, there is potential for adverse weather to return in the coming days.

In Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, two women were taken to hospital after being struck by a fallen tree at around 12:50 GMT on Sunday, police said.

The towns of the Clyde coast in Scotland have been hit particularly hard by the severe weather. The main Skelmorlie to Largs road has been badly damaged and a number of businesses in Largs were flooded overnight on Saturday.

In Gourock, a boat ended up on the side of the road and there have been reports of power being out in Girvan all throughout Sunday.

In Dumbarton, on the north bank of the River Clyde, Muhammad Zubair Ashraf's mobile phone shop was flooded overnight.

He estimated between £5,000 and £10,000 of damage was caused and said he was "heartbroken" at the scale of the losses.

Travel has been affected across the country, with police in Scotland warning against unnecessary road journeys.

Ferry services have been impacted, some flights to and from Belfast, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dublin airports have been cancelled, and train services across the UK have faced disruption.