| By
Alex Richardson
 LONDON
(Reuters) - Driving rain, snow and gale force winds lashed
northwestern Europe Monday, with British police reporting
three deaths in the worst storm to hit the country in more
than a decade.
Britain
borne the brunt of the weather, with the south of the country
brought to a virtual standstill as fallen trees and floods
shut roads and forced cancellation of many trains.
France,
the Netherlands and Sweden were also hard hit and thousands
of passengers were stranded at sea on ferries unable to
make port.
There
were extensive flight delays causing major disruptions to
travelers unable to reach airports because of train chaos.
``This
is certainly the worst since the storm of October 1987,''
British Meteorological Office spokesman Colin Donelly told
Reuters.
Donelly
said the storm, which has been moving east across the southern
part of Britain, had seen wind gusts of up to 93 miles per
hour (150 kmph) recorded in South Wales, with wind speeds
in excess of 60 miles per hour (97 kmph) in many places.
The
heaviest rainfall was at Larkhill, in Wiltshire, southern
England, where 48.2mm (1.9 inches) fell between 1800 GMT
Sunday and 0600 GMT Monday.
Severe
storms also battered northern France, and the French Meteorological
Office recommended ``the greatest prudence'' in coastal
areas.
The
ports of Dover, one of the main entry points to England
from France, and Falmouth, in south west England, were closed.
Three
ferries carrying several thousand passengers were stranded
off Dover unable to berth.
``They
have been out all night sheltering as best they can,'' Dover
Coastguard spokesman Michael Painter told Reuters.
Long
queues of trucks and week-end tourists formed at crossing
points on both sides of the channel.
One
man was killed and two were injured when a tree crashed
on to two cars on the A3 road in Surrey, south west of London,
Sunday night, police said.
A rare
tornado injured two people when it tore through a caravan
park in Selsey, Sussex.
Two people died in unrelated incidents off the British and
Irish coasts Sunday.
Roger
Davis, watch manager at Brixham coastguard, said the 33-year-old
skipper of the Dutch-registered vessel ``Almenum'' was killed
after falling into the ship's hold as it was tossed on heavy
seas Sunday evening.
Earlier
Sunday, a man died after falling from a ferry crossing from
Rosslare in Ireland to Fishguard in south Wales.
In south
eastern England, which was hit by serious flooding earlier
this month, the Environment Agency issued severe flood warnings
for more than a dozen rivers.
Hundreds
of people were evacuated from homes and police advised the
public not travel -- or even go to work -- unless it was
essential.
Train
services to London's main Heathrow airport were disrupted
by a fallen tree on the line and the story was the same
on many other train and subway lines.
In Manchester
in northern England, snow made travel double dangerous as
drivers wrestled with slippery roads and strong winds.
Across
the channel, flights from Paris' Roissy airport were canceled
as winds along the runway reached 120 kph (75 mph).
The
Italian cargo ship Ievoly Sun, carrying chemical products,
was in difficulty taking on water off Brittany's Ile d'Ouessant
as winds along the coast reached 176 kph.
The
first heavy snowfall of winter hit central Sweden at the
weekend, catching thousands of motorists and local authorities
unprepared and without winter tires.
The
main east coast route was blocked near Hudiksvall by three
trucks and when a snowplough also got stuck police warned
motorists to stay at home.
In the
Netherlands police in the southern province of Zeeland said
the storm felled many trees and damaged roofs. Ferries were
not sailing from Dutch ports.
In the
early morning, gales reached force nine and were expected
to rise to 10 later in the day. They said wind speed may
reach 100 kmph (62 mph), with wind gusts of 120 kmph (75
mph).
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