DHAKA: Strong storm winds and rain battered southern parts of England and Wales early on Monday, forcing flight cancellations, disrupting trains and closing roads and major bridges before the start of rush-hour.

Local media dubbed the storm ‘St Jude’, after the patron saint of lost causes who is traditionally celebrated on October 28, and made comparisons to 1987 when a storm killed 18 people in Britain and felled around 15 million trees.

London’s Heathrow airport said around 20 percent of flights would be cancelled between 0600 and 1100 GMT and told passengers to check with their airlines before travelling, reports The Straits Times.

The Highways Agency, which operates the road network in England, said high winds had forced the closure of London’s southbound Dartford Crossing and the M4 Severn crossing, between South Wales and England, in both directions.

BDST: 1352 HRS, OCT 28, 2013
RoR/BSK