Gales cause chaos along the coast

A man was taken to hospital after a roof collapsed on a bus shelter

Severe gales have damaged buildings and caused major disruption to traffic across the south of England.

Ferry services to the Isle of Wight and Channel Islands were cancelled and thousands of homes left without power.

An 18-year-old man was taken to hospital after he was injured when the roof of Bar Vin in Bournemouth, Dorset, collapsed as winds reached 80mph.

In Southsea, near Portsmouth, one resident was woken by the sound of the wall of his house collapsing.

Bjorn Svenson, a teacher who lives in Auckland Road, told the BBC: "It looks like something out of World War II.

The roof squashed the bus stop, hitting one guy on the head Mandy Elkins, Bournemouth

"My bed actually backs on to the exterior wall and there was this almighty crash and it was literally inches away from my head.

"The whole of the side of the exterior wall has disappeared."

The high winds also ripped glass tiles off South Parade Pier in Southsea and Portsmouth City Council said a small section of South Parade had been closed as a result.

Mandy Elkins, who works in a shop on Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, opposite Bar Vin, saw the roof collapse.

She said: "It sounded like a big lorry had upturned. It was really, really loud, so loud I came out.

Boats broke their moorings and became beached at Mudeford

"The roof squashed the bus stop, hitting one guy on the head - he was holding his head. The bricks were really big.

"Twenty minutes earlier that was my path in to work. It makes you think it could've been me."

Police described the man's injuries as slight and said the road had been shut and structural engineers called in to asses the damage.

Sandbanks Road in Poole has been flooded and the Environment Agency has also issued a flood warning for Christchurch.

Southampton Airport experienced delays on all flights.

Trees brought down on roads and railway lines across both Hampshire and Dorset have also caused disruption.

Passengers on the main railway line from London to Weymouth were delayed when it was blocked by fallen trees.

The line has reopened but people have been warned to expect disruption and delays when travelling home tonight.

Meanwhile, all freight bookings at Southampton Container Terminal have been cancelled until 2200 GMT.