LONDON - Tens of thousands of homes across the UK were left without power on Saturday and two people were killed after Storm Darragh hit the country with strong winds and caused pre-Christmas travel disruption.

Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, is also expected to bring heavy rain through the weekend, with the UK's Environment Agency issuing dozens of flood warnings.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News on Saturday the storm posed a "challenging situation".

Two men were killed as a result of trees falling on their cars in separate incidents in Lancashire, northwest England, and in the west Midlands.

In Wales, the Met Office estimated gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour (93 miles per hour), with a "major incident" declared in parts of Wales due to the extensive disruption.

The storm has had "very significant effects in many parts of Wales, including on transport, energy infrastructure and property", the Welsh devolved leader said in a statement, warning that the effects could be "felt for some days yet".

As of Saturday afternoon 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power, according to the Energy Networks Association.

Trains were disrupted or suspended on several routes including from Glasgow to Edinburgh in Scotland, and between Cambridge and Stansted Airport in eastern England.

Rail operator CrossCountry, which operates nationwide, put a "do not travel" notice in place for Saturday due to cancellations and severe delays.

Network Rail Wales suspended trains on the Welsh northern coast due to a "fallen tree blocking the line", and several bridges in southern England and Wales were closed for safety reasons.

In Northern Ireland, thousands were left without power, and several bus and train services were suspended or delayed.

Christmas markets and sporting events were postponed, including the Merseyside derby between Premier League leaders Liverpool and Everton.

In Ireland, which issued an "orange" wind warning, 175,000 homes were without electricity as of Saturday evening, according to ESB Networks, which said there was "widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure".

Dublin Airport said "a number of flights scheduled for Saturday morning have been cancelled by airlines" due to the storm.

Darragh comes two weeks after Storm Bert battered much of Britain, causing "devastating" flooding in parts of Wales and knocking out power to thousands of homes in Ireland.

The UK's Met Office had issued a rare red alert for high winds overnight to Saturday morning (0300 to 1100 GMT) covering parts of Wales and southwest England.

A separate amber warning, which is less serious than the red alert but still flags a "potential risk to life and property", covering a larger stretch of the UK and Northern Ireland is in place until Saturday night.

AFP