Destructive 95mph wind gusts and heavy snow have brought further misery to the UK with widespread travel chaos, power cuts and school closures.

Commuters faced significant delays as fallen trees blocked rail lines and roads in the south, while drivers in the north were told to stay off treacherous snow and ice-covered routes following dozens of crashes.

More than 35,000 homes were without power in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk as the Met Office faced criticism for failing to name the storm a day after Storm Fionn hit.

High winds ripped roofs off houses, blew trees and sheds onto rail lines, disrupted flights and ferry services, forced the Dartford River crossing to close and sent hazardous debris flying towards pedestrians and cars.

A wolf was on the loose after escaping a sanctuary in Beenham, Berkshire, when winds brought down fencing.

In the Netherlands, the storm was blamed for at least two deaths.

High winds destroyed part of a home in Stoke Heath, Coventry (
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Coventry Telegraph)
A pile of debris on the ground after the home was damaged (
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Coventry Telegraph)
A fallen tree blocks a main road in Wanstead in east London (
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JEFF MOORE)
A car owner woke up to this scene in Greenwich, south-east London (
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Waves batter Newhaven Harbour in East Sussex at high tide (
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Daily Mirror)
Two people escaped injury when a car flipped on the M6 northbound near junction 34 in Lancashire (
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@LancsARV/Twitter)
About 30 vehicles were stuck on the A19 northbound near Hartlepool (
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This car needed a push after getting stuck on an icy road in Hurworth, Co Durham (
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North News & Pictures)
The QE2 Bridge at the Dartford crossing was closed (
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Gales reached nearly 95mph in North Wales, while gusts of 72mph were recorded at London City Airport in the capital.

Britons posted photos online of wind damage, including trees that fell on top of cars and fences that were blown over.

One woman told how a trampoline was sent flying into her front garden from a home three doors away, and one in Crouch End, north London, said her chimney collapsed onto the street below.

Debris rained down as part of the roof of a house was torn off a three-storey house in Stoke Heath, Coventry, overnight.

A garden in Dartford, Kent, was left a mess after bricks from a loft conversion crashed down into a new extension, causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.

A number of flights out of UK airports were delayed or cancelled, and the QE2 Bridge at the Dartford River crossing was closed, creating massive tailbacks for thousands of motorists.

All flights at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport were cancelled as the storm moved east across the North Sea and battered the Netherlands with 90mph winds.

Waves pounded the coast where there were gales of more than 70mph (
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Daily Mirror)
There were hundreds of reports of fallen trees across southern England (
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JEFF MOORE)
Part of a house was wrecked by high winds in Dartford, Kent (
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SWNS.com)
Eunice Clarke came across a field full of rare snow rollers in Glassford, South Lanarkshire (
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Eunice Clarke/SWNS.com)
A fallen tree is cut near Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (
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Get Surrey)
Commuters faced disruption across the UK on Thursday (
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A three-storey house in Stoke Heath, Coventry, lost its roof overnight (
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PA)
Debris rained down as the roof off this home was blown off (
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PA)
A large tree crashed through a brick wall and landed on a car at Greenwich Park, south-east London (
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WENN.com)

Tens of thousands of buildings were without electricity, including 17,000 in Suffolk and 13,000 in Essex.

Another 5,000 had lost power in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Fierce winds were causing delays for commuters after a train hit a tree near Lower Sydenham station in south London, while fallen trees were also blocking South Western and Greater Anglia lines.

There were delays to Arriva Trains Wales services due to obstructions on the tracks, and a freight train ploughing into two sheds that were blown onto the line between Newtown Powys and Welshpool, the Daily Post reported.

Poor weather conditions were also affecting railways in the Midlands, with overhead electric wires damaged between Wolverhampton and Stafford.

Passengers were being warned to expect delays to and from Manchester Piccadilly, between Birmingham New Street and Crewe, through Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Redditch.

A Southeastern train hit a tree near Lower Sydenham station just before 6am. Passengers stayed on the train until they were evacuated at about 7.45am.

Southeastern tweeted: "We've had reports of a train hitting a tree near Lower Sydenham. The driver is working to remove it, but may need more assistance. Response staff from Network Rail are en route to the location."

South Western wrote on Twitter: "We are dealing with several fallen trees across our network, which have damaged infrastructure and are causing delays. Please check before travelling."

Greater Anglia said: "Due to a tree blocking the railway between Marks Tey and Sudbury the line is blocked. Services between Marks Tey and Sudbury have been suspended. Disruption is expected until 10:00."

Services between Norwich and Liverpool Street station in London were suspended due to damage to overhead electric wires between Stowmarket and Norwich.

In Suffolk, the Orwell Bridge was closed due to high winds.

Warnings for snow and ice, and strong winds were issued by the Met Office (
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Met Office)

Irish Ferries services between Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled or delayed, and flood alerts were issued for the Middle River Mersey catchment in Greater Manchester.

In North Wales, 93mph winds battered Capel Curig around midnight, while Aberdaron had gusts of 78mph at 3am, the Daily Post reported.

Tibenham, Norfolk, saw gales of 83mph.

The Met Office reported winds of up to 74mph by 6am around Liscombe, Somerset, and the Lincolnshire and East Anglia areas, and gusts of more than 70mph in London.

"Very strong winds across England and Wales this morning," the Met said in a tweet.

"Be aware of longer journey times for the rush hour, especially in eastern parts where gusts over 70mph are still possible."

Part of the A1 southbound was closed due to a jackknifed lorry (
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@DurhamRPU/Twitter)
Drivers have been urged to take it easy on roads covered in snow and ice (
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@NPRoadPolicing/Twitter)
Heavy snow was falling across parts of Scotland and northern England (
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@NPRoadPolicing/Twitter)

Parts of Scotland and northern England were being battered by another blast of heavy snow, with travel disruption and school closures through the region as the storm hit.

Drivers were warned to only travel if necessary.

There were reports of up to 8ins of fresh snow in Scotland, and 6ins in parts of the North East.

Dozens of schools have been closed in parts of Scotland, while public transport has been disrupted by the weather.

About 30 vehicles were stranded on the A19 northbound near Hartlepool due to heavy snow.

Northumbria Police told drivers only to venture out if absolutely necessary (
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@NPRoadPolicing/Twitter)
Gritters were trying to keep up with the snowfall (
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@NPRoadPolicing/Twitter)

During the night, temperatures dropped at low as -7C in Loch Glascarnoch.

Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway recorded up 14ins of lying snow, while Spadeadam in Cumbria, which escaped much of the snow on Wednesday, now has 9ins of snow - with up to 8ins falling on Wednesday night alone.

Met Office Spokesman Charlie Powell said the worst of the blustery conditions was over, adding: "In the last couple of hours the wind speeds have already started to come down significantly."

Thursday's storm wasn't given a name by the Met Office, who said it fell just below the criteria. However, amber and yellow warnings for snow and ice, and a yellow warning for wind were issued in advance. Georgina is the next name to be used for a major storm.

Météo-France named it Storm David, as it caused disruption in northern France, and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute issued a "code red" warning of 86mph winds.

Storm Fionn was making its way across Scandinavia on Thursday.

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An ambulance responds to an incident (
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CROSBY/BACKGRID)
Police on scene after the A19 northbound was closed (
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CROSBY/BACKGRID)

On Wednesday, persistent snow and ice from Storm Fionn caused treacherous driving conditions and brought the M74 in Scotland to a standstill for about 11 hours, leaving drivers stranded in their cars overnight.

But Traffic Scotland said on Thursday there were no significant incidents on the roads for rush hour traffic and traffic on the M74 was "coping well".

During the night, Police Scotland issued a "stage four" warning, advising drivers to avoid travelling on roads in areas covered by amber snow warnings.

This was later downgraded to stage three to warn motorists of a "high risk of disruption" during the morning.

A jogger runs along a snow-covered path in Stockton, Teesside (
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CROSBY/BACKGRID)
Drivers faced further misery due to heavy snow across Scotland and northern England (
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A yellow warning for snow was issued by the Met Office (
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Snow ploughs were busy clearing roads in the early hours (
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CROSBY/BACKGRID)

Mountain rescue teams were drafted in to check on drivers on the M74 in the early hours of Wednesday, many of whom were stuck in their vehicles for several hours.

Scotland's Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has apologised to those stranded in their vehicles overnight.

Sam Sykes, a surveyor from Biggar, South Lanarkshire, said he was stuck on the M74 for around 12 hours - from 6pm on Tuesday until around 5.30am on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old was travelling from Dalry in Ayrshire to Biggar after work.

He said: "The length of time, the cold and the uncertainty of when it would start again was the worst part."

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Mat Jackson, 29, a product manager with Siemens, arrived home in Manchester at around 11.30am on Wednesday - having left Glasgow at 3.20pm on Tuesday.

He told the Press Association: "Every time gritters went by you thought 'here we go' but the snow just came down harder, it was that thick you couldn't see in front of you."

Police declared a critical incident and said that more than 200 people were stranded.

All prelim exams scheduled to take place in North Lanarkshire secondary schools on Thursday have been postponed.

Public Health England issued cold weather alerts and health warnings in light of the cold weather, urging people to take extra care.