By Alex Richardson
 LONDON
(Reuters) - Driving rain, snow and gale force winds lashed northwestern
Europe Monday, with British police reporting three deaths in the
worst storm to hit the country in more than a decade.
Britain borne
the brunt of the weather, with the south of the country brought
to a virtual standstill as fallen trees and floods shut roads
and forced cancellation of many trains.
France, the
Netherlands and Sweden were also hard hit and thousands of passengers
were stranded at sea on ferries unable to make port.
There were
extensive flight delays causing major disruptions to travelers
unable to reach airports because of train chaos.
``This is
certainly the worst since the storm of October 1987,'' British
Meteorological Office spokesman Colin Donelly told Reuters.
Donelly said
the storm, which has been moving east across the southern part
of Britain, had seen wind gusts of up to 93 miles per hour (150
kmph) recorded in South Wales, with wind speeds in excess of 60
miles per hour (97 kmph) in many places.
The heaviest
rainfall was at Larkhill, in Wiltshire, southern England, where
48.2mm (1.9 inches) fell between 1800 GMT Sunday and 0600 GMT
Monday.
Severe storms
also battered northern France, and the French Meteorological Office
recommended ``the greatest prudence'' in coastal areas.
The ports
of Dover, one of the main entry points to England from France,
and Falmouth, in south west England, were closed.
Three ferries
carrying several thousand passengers were stranded off Dover unable
to berth.
``They have
been out all night sheltering as best they can,'' Dover Coastguard
spokesman Michael Painter told Reuters.
Long queues
of trucks and week-end tourists formed at crossing points on both
sides of the channel.
One man was
killed and two were injured when a tree crashed on to two cars
on the A3 road in Surrey, south west of London, Sunday night,
police said.
A rare tornado
injured two people when it tore through a caravan park in Selsey,
Sussex.
Two people died in unrelated incidents off the British and Irish
coasts Sunday.
Roger Davis,
watch manager at Brixham coastguard, said the 33-year-old skipper
of the Dutch-registered vessel ``Almenum'' was killed after falling
into the ship's hold as it was tossed on heavy seas Sunday evening.
Earlier Sunday,
a man died after falling from a ferry crossing from Rosslare in
Ireland to Fishguard in south Wales.
In south eastern
England, which was hit by serious flooding earlier this month,
the Environment Agency issued severe flood warnings for more than
a dozen rivers.
Hundreds of
people were evacuated from homes and police advised the public
not travel -- or even go to work -- unless it was essential.
Train services
to London's main Heathrow airport were disrupted by a fallen tree
on the line and the story was the same on many other train and
subway lines.
In Manchester
in northern England, snow made travel double dangerous as drivers
wrestled with slippery roads and strong winds.
Across the
channel, flights from Paris' Roissy airport were canceled as winds
along the runway reached 120 kph (75 mph).
The Italian
cargo ship Ievoly Sun, carrying chemical products, was in difficulty
taking on water off Brittany's Ile d'Ouessant as winds along the
coast reached 176 kph.
The first
heavy snowfall of winter hit central Sweden at the weekend, catching
thousands of motorists and local authorities unprepared and without
winter tires.
The main east
coast route was blocked near Hudiksvall by three trucks and when
a snowplough also got stuck police warned motorists to stay at
home.
In the Netherlands
police in the southern province of Zeeland said the storm felled
many trees and damaged roofs. Ferries were not sailing from Dutch
ports.
In the early
morning, gales reached force nine and were expected to rise to
10 later in the day. They said wind speed may reach 100 kmph (62
mph), with wind gusts of 120 kmph (75 mph).
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