SWINDON woke up to bank holiday Monday slightly battered but largely unscathed by Storm Katie.

The River Ray burst its banks near the Runner pub, off Wootton Bassett Road, and parkland the other side of the road is under water.

Trees have come down all over the county with one at Milbourne, near Malmesbury, blocking the road and bringing down power cables as it fell.

Part of the road at junction 16 of the M4 at Windmill Hill turned into a lake, while drivers faced flooding at Eldene, close to the Morrisons store.

A flock of 30 sheep were stranded by floodwater and had to be rescued from their field at Tisbury.

Trees came down all over the county, one at Milbourne just outside Malmesbury blocked the road and brought down power cables as it fell.

But police said the fact it was a holiday and the roads were quiet had helped the emergency services cope.

A force spokeswoman said: “I think that is what has worked in our favour this morning.”

A flood warning was still in place today for the River Avon between Great Somerford, Sutton Benger and south towards Melksham.

Low lying roads and farmland in the Rodbourne and Water Eaton areas were also at risk from flooding.

For many returning home after the Easter weekend, Storm Katie has caused travel misery.

Flights have been diverted, thousands of homes left without power and trains were delayed after heavy rain and winds of up to 106mph hit the central and southern England.

The Dartford River Crossing and M48 Severn Bridge were closed overnight because of strong winds, while gusts were so strong a crane in Greenwich, London, collapsed.

Several train routes were hit by long delays as the powerful storm blew trees onto the tracks and plane passengers told of "scary" aborted attempts to land at Gatwick Airport before being diverted elsewhere in the country.

An airport spokeswoman said 26 flights had been cancelled and 23 diverted because of the bad weather.

A Gatwick spokeswoman said: "Due to adverse weather, a small number of flights at Gatwick have been cancelled and there is some disruption to roads around North Terminal.

"We advise passengers to check directly with their airline for the latest information and to leave extra time to travel to the airport."

More than 60 flights at Heathrow Airport were cancelled with another 20 being diverted.

A spokesman said: "Due to strong winds and heavy rainfall from Storm Katie, there are delays to some flights and a small number of cancellations at Heathrow today.

"Passengers are advised to check with their airline before travelling to the airport. We are sorry for any disruption caused."

One woman, who didn't want to be named, and her family left Wiltshire at 6.30am today for a flight to the United States just before 11am as the flight departure was still listed as being on time. By the time they had arrived at Heathrow Airport the flight had been cancelled.

Meanwhile, more than 80,000 homes across the south of England had power cuts, according to Southern Electric Power Distribution.

The firm said it had restored power to 40,300 homes since Sunday night, while a further 41,889 homes across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire , Dorset, Surrey, West Sussex, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight were without electricity.

More than 900 engineers and technical staff are out battling to reconnect homes.

The Isle of Wight saw the strongest winds, recording a gust of 106mph, while snow hit the West Midlands last night.

Storm Katie is expected to move north east over the course of the day.

  • A man died after a car plunged into a river from a motorway.

The man's body was found as the vehicle was removed from the River Don, just off the A1M, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire Police said.

The northbound carriageway is expected to remain closed between junctions 36 and 37 for some time and drivers are advised to avoid the area.

A police spokesman said: "Following reports this morning that a car had entered the River Don,off the A1 in Doncaster, a man's body has been found as the vehicle has now been recovered from the water.

"While formal identification of the body has not yet taken place, the family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers."

  • Five teenagers were rescued after getting lost on Dartmoor when the storm was at its worst. A rescue mission was launched just before midnight and they were found at 3.30am, cold and wet, but unhurt.