Man dies as tree hits car amid strong winds and heavy rain

A man has died after a tree fell on his car as high winds and heavy rain battered Britain.

The 48-year-old, from Crondall, died after the incident just a short distance from the village on the A287 shortly before 7.20am on Tuesday, Hampshire Police said.

It came as the UK was hit by 50mph winds and more than two inches of rain in some places.

Inspector Simon Hills said: "Part of the investigation will be to determine if the weather was a contributing factor."

The Met Office said a yellow warning for high winds was in place for the whole of England and Wales except the north east for Tuesday, with a separate rain warning for north and east Scotland running until noon on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the heavy rain and wind led to chaos in London, with multiple train delays and tree branches falling on a car and bus near Waterloo station.

Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg arrived late at a campaign event after the train he was on hit a fallen tree at high speed while leaving Derby.

Mr Clegg was nearly an hour behind schedule for a joint appearance with Tim Farron, his successor as Liberal Democrat leader, in Sheffield because of the incident.

The ex-deputy PM told the Press Association: "As the train was speeding out of Derby, there was quite a sort of shuddering impact because the train hit what I assume was quite a large tree across the track.

"So the train was stopped until the tree was removed and disgorged from between the wheels of the front carriage and then we moved on, so all was well and nobody was hurt."

The first preview day of the Chatsworth Flower Show in the nearby Peak District part of Derby was also forced to shut early.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said it planned to open the sell-out show on Wednesday, when the public get their first chance to visit.

Earlier, Alan Titchmarsh and Mary Berry had been among the first to get a glimpse of the newest addition to the RHS shows calendar.

The Met Office wind warning is in force until 10pm and warns of gusts of up to 60mph possible in coastal and hilly areas.

It added: "Expect some localised transport disruption, with some trees perhaps uprooted. Large waves and spray will affect some coasts."

Meteorologist Emma Sharples said: "There will be less gusty winds on Wednesday, but Thursday and Saturday will bring unsettled weather.

"So far, 61.6 mm (2.5in) has fallen in areas of high ground, in particular Cumbria and Snowdonia."