Six people killed in bad weather

Six people were killed in the North West Thursday's bad weather

Six people were killed and at least a dozen others were injured in the storms which battered the North West.

Martin Hunt, 58, from Broxbourne in Essex, died in hospital after being hit by a petrol forecourt canopy in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire.

The five other deaths were in Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

Thousands of homes are expected to be without power for a second night as engineers try to repair damaged lines in Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

The strong gusts caused a catalogue of devastation.

A 60-year-old woman was crushed to death when a wall collapsed on top of her in Fern Close, Marple, Stockport.

In Manchester, a man died after opening his van doors and falling over in North Street, in Strangeways.

Vehicle overturned

A German lorry driver was killed when his vehicle overturned on the A55 near the Forte Posthouse hotel in Chester.

A pensioner in his 80s died of a suspected heart attack outside his home in Prenton, Wirral, as he tried to secure fencing that had blown loose.

Derek Barley, 61, of Manchester, was working on a gas storage site near Middlewich when he was fatally injured.

There will be a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and Cheshire Police into his death.

The winds also caused a number of other serious injuries.

A 66-year-old man is in a critical condition with head and chest injuries after he was knocked down by wind and struck a metal cabin in Hyde, Greater Manchester.

And a woman, 60, from Cheetham Hill in Manchester is in a serious condition after she was blown over outside Starbucks cafe in the city centre.

Restore power

Commuters who faced difficulty getting home on Thursday were told to expect short notice disruption to services on Friday.

Merseyrail announced rail replacement bus services between Hooton and Chester due to problems at Chester station.

Meanwhile passengers on Virgin Train West Coast Main Line routes were told services were operating to an emergency timetable on Friday morning.

About 60,000 homes across the North West had supplies knocked out and although many homes have had electricity restored, some houses may not get their power back until Saturday.

Colin McSeveny from Scottish Power said: "The majority of homes have had power restored but unfortunately the chances are that some will remain without power on Friday night too."