London is beginning to recover after being battered by heavy winds and heavy rain on Sunday, which caused massive travel disruption.
Dubbed by the Met Office as 'storm of the century, Storm Ciara brought 70mph winds, causing major disruption to train lines, bringing down hundreds of trees, shutting stations and causing chaos.
The capital is still forecast to be experience 40mph winds today, Monday February 10, and could also see temperatures drop below minus is coming days.
But with the worst appearing to be over, the News Shopper has taken a look at the aftermath of the storm in south east London.
Travel disruption
Storm Ciara brought large numbers of train lines to a halt on Sunday, also affecting roads, ferries and flights.
Southeastern and Thameslink, the Met Office and Network Rail all issued 'do not travel' warnings, and Euston Station was forced to closed in the middle of the day.
⚠️🚨 DO NOT TRAVEL 🚨⚠️
— London Euston (@NetworkRailEUS) February 9, 2020
This is our latest advice to passengers.
Really sorry, folks, but #StormCiara is making it increasingly difficult to run a reliable railway for you.@nationalrailenq @AvantiWestCoast @LDNOverground @LNRailway @CalSleeper pic.twitter.com/j4y2CGDcBu
One 'nasty' incident saw a train hit a tree which had fallen on the tracks at Swanley around 4:15pm.
The line was completely blocked whilst repair work was carried out, and the passengers on board had to be evacuated using a 'rescue train which pulled up alongside.
⚠️Passengers at #Swanley - your rescue train 1Z99 is arriving with you now. There will be a side-to-side evacuation - our teams and @BTPKent will look after you. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.⚠️ pic.twitter.com/jBvxwN5w40
— Network Rail Kent and Sussex (@NetworkRailSE) February 9, 2020
Elsewhere, Dartford Station had to be closed after the storm caused damage to the building, and the main entrance remains closed off this morning.
A fallen tree blocked the line at Falconwood (above) and Erith, a piece of broken track near Catford caused delays (below), and a trampoline even made it onto the track near Orpington (below).
Stuck on a @TLRailUK train that’s stopped because a trampoline has hit it 😫 #StormCiara pic.twitter.com/PgWTcN99tk
— phoebe (@kisseswithamor) February 9, 2020
Other modes of transport were badly affected too, with the Woolwich Ferry and the Gravesend and Tilbury Ferry both suspended due to high winds and QEII Bridge closed for most of the night.
Whilst high tides and further strong winds are still limiting some transport routes, namely ferries, Network Rail said this morning that the majority of its lines are now open.
Damage elsewhere
Furniture, trees and bins were sent flying across the region over the weekend by the strong gusts of wind, and several of London's iconic sights were forced to shut their doors as the capital.
Greenwich Park closed on Sunday in order to ensure public safety, Euston Station shut altogether after overcrowding, and flood alerts stretched from the south east coast over to Dartford.
Due to high tide, the Thames Barrier has today closed its flood gates in order to protect London from tidal flooding.
⚠️ Due to a forecast high tide, the #ThamesBarrier will be closing today.
— Alan - Flood Forecaster @ The Thames Barrier (@AlanBarrierEA) February 10, 2020
Gates are expected to start moving to the closed position from around 10.30, and it should be fully open again by 16.00.
This will be the 187th closure to protect #London from tidal flooding. pic.twitter.com/iakjA3fJEy
Across the UK, there has been one reported death after a tree fell onto a man's car in Hampshire during the worst of yesterday's storm.
Hopefully the worst of the storm has now passed, and the majority of south east London has come out unscathed.
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