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St Jude's storm claims four lives

The worst storm to hit Britain in a decade has claimed four lives and affected dozens of flights and trains leaving millions of commuters stranded. 

Seventeen year-old Bethany Freeman was killed after the static caravan she was sleeping in was crushed by a tree in Hever, Kent. 

Chief Superintendent Steve Corbishly from Kent Police said: "She was in a static home adjoining the house she lives in with her family. 

"Tragically, she did die at the scene. It's not being treated as suspicious but we're working with Fire and Rescue to determine the exact cause." A man in his fifties was also killed in Watford, Herfordshire, when his Peugeot 206 was crushed by a falling tree. 

Meanwhile, a man and a woman died after a gas explosion triggered by a falling tree caused three houses to collapse in Hounslow, west London.

Prime Minister David Cameron's said that the loss of life is 'hugely regrettable' and tweeted: "Our thoughts are with the families friends of those who have lost their lives. I pay tribute to our emergency services." There's also a 14 year-old boy - named as Dylan Alkins - who's feared dead after being swept into the sea at Newhaven in East Sussex yesterday.  Southern and eastern England are the worst affected and more than a quarter of a million homes remain without power. The storm swept in from the Atlantic at midnight. The maximum wind speed was 99 miles an hour, recorded around 5am at the Needles on the Isle of Wight.  The strong weather has been given the name St. Jude after the patron saint of lost causes who is traditionally celebrated on October 28th.  Father Wilfrid McGreal is from the Catholic order that looks after the shrine of St Jude. He told Premier's News Hour a bit more about the saint:

The weather has damaged property and left many roads flooded. Met Police say there were over seven hundred 999 calls this morning between 6am and 8am, mostly about fallen trees. Network Rail said the damage to lines had been "worse than expected", but some train services had resumed.

Andrew Brown from Ecclesiastical Insurance told Premier's News Hour the amount of damage to property isn't as much as people expected. 

The Environment Agency said parts of south west, southern and central England are at increased risk of flooding from rivers following the heavy rainfall. Large waves and strong winds may continue to cause some minor coastal flooding along the south coast.  Strong winds are forecast to continue hitting the East, East Midlands, West Midlands, South East and South West.

 
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