Broken power cables cut off homes

Sections of the A38, A30 and A39 were closed due to fallen trees

More than 5,500 people in Devon have been left without electricity after stormy weather destroyed power cables.

Western Power says it is are aware of 400 incidents so far but more calls are being received all the time.

And at Knowle, in Budleigh Salterton, approximately one kilometre of power lines came down - leaving 45 homes without power.

Wind speeds of up to 100 mph were recorded in the region, forcing the Tamar Bridge to close for 30 minutes.

High-sided vehicles were prevented from driving across the bridge for the entire night and fallen trees caused sections of the A38, A30 and A39 to close.

Lost at sea

In Plymouth, a balcony collapsed and several houses on Dartmouth Road in Paignton were flooded.

At sea, a yacht came close to sinking after it collided with a Torpoint ferry and the service was closed for two hours at the time of high tide.

Two Plymouth lifeboats were launched at 0300GMT to prevent a 30 foot yacht hitting the banks of the St Germans river. The RNLI say the yachts Dolcebella's anchor cable had become tangled up in its propellers, leaving it without power.

Lifeboat crews said the weather was the worst they have seen in years and are warning boat owners to check their moorings after several boats broke free.