Rescue workers were clearing trees and debris from roads and railway lines and attempting to restore power to thousands of homes across Britain tonight, after nine people died in the country's most violent storm in nearly 17 years.

Falling trees, crumbling walls and masonry cut loose by gales claimed lives up and down the UK after severe winds gathered in the early hours of this morning and were still raging as darkness fell.

Tens of thousands of commuters had their journeys severely disrupted as winds of up to 99mph (159kph) and driving rain brought chaos across the road and rail networks.

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning and said it now expected a sudden drop in temperatures, with snow and frost forecast over much of the country this weekend.

The dead include a two-year-old boy who was crushed when a wall collapsed in Kentish Town, North London.

Five of the victims were motorists, including Richard Heard, 54, managing director of Birmingham Airport, who died instantly in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, when a branch fell through his car windscreen before dawn.

A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "The crew found a large branch had fallen from a tree onto the road. Part of it had gone into the windscreen of a 4x4 car."

"They immediately started resuscitation attempts, but it became apparent that despite all their efforts it was not possible to save the man and he was confirmed dead at the scene."

Shortly after midday, a male car passenger was killed by a falling tree at Streatley in Berkshire.

At around 1.25pm, a woman in her mid-60s was crushed to death when a wall she was walking past at Marple, near Stockport, Cheshire, was toppled by a gust of wind.

The fifth fatal accident involved a lorry driver killed when his vehicle was blown over near Skipton, North Yorkshire. Lorries were overturned across the country, with 15 down in the North East alone.

Later, Manchester Police reported that a man died after being blown into a metal shutter at an industrial estate in the Strangeways area of Manchester.

A man in his 80s died of a suspected heart attack outside his home in Prenton, Wirral, as he tried to secure fencing that had blown loose in high winds.

In Cheshire, a man died when a lorry was blown onto a car on the A55 near Chester.

A second man died in the county after possibly being struck by a tree. A spokesman for Cheshire Constabulary said: "We believe he was struck by a tree but we don't know where that happened, or the circumstances. We are trying to get more information."

In nearby Merseyside, two schoolboys were taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries after a tree fell on them in the grounds of St Augustine of Canterbury High School in St Helens.

In London, Lord's cricket ground was evacuated after a section of its roof was blown onto St John's Wood Road, hitting two cars. Two ambulances attended the scene. A section of canopy roof was also blown down at King’s Cross station, causing no injuries.

Hundreds of thousands of homes across the country were without electricity after power lines were brought down by winds blowing at a sustained 80mph (129kph).

The Highways Agency advised drivers to take extra care and to be prepared for crosswinds and delays, as the Met Office said the gale-force winds would not ease before the evening rush-hour.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail warned commuters to expect "delays and cancellations across the network". London Bridge station is closed because of fallen panes of glass, while a reduced service is operating from King’s Cross and Euston stations.

The Environment Agency issued 34 flood warnings and 159 less serious "flood watches" – predicting "flooding of homes and businesses" in the Midlands and on the Welsh Borders.

In Kent, police launched Operation Stack, turning sections of the M20 into a lorry park to ease tailbacks after the port of Dover suspended ferry services.

Two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters braved 90mph (145kph) winds to airlift 26 crewmen off the stricken British cargo ship MSC Napoli, as they were drifting in lifeboats 40 miles (64km) off the Cornish coast.

Commuters faced chaos on the London Underground as obstructions on the tracks saw the Piccadilly, Northern, Central and Bakerloo lines part-suspended. Signal failures also disrupted the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Victoria Lines.

Kings Cross St Pancras Underground Station in central London was closed completely between 7.45am and 9.22am because of a power failure, causing misery to up to 65,000 commuters.

Heavy snowfall in the Pennines in Yorkshire, in County Durham and in upland areas across Scotland closed roads. Sleet also fell in Edinburgh.

The Met Office said that the country has not seen such high wind speeds over such a wide area since the Burns' Day Storm of January 25 1990.

Looking towards the weekend, the organisation said: "In contrast to the recent mild weather, temperatures will fall over the weekend, with snow and widespread frosts becoming the main focus of concern. There is a risk of disruption over eastern and northern parts of the UK."

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