A month’s worth of rain is expected in just two days in Britain as experts have warned of more hellish downpours this weekend.

Winds, which reached 108mph last night, stopped trains in their tracks, blew roofs off stations and closed major transport links on a day dubbed “Wild Wednesday”.

The savage storms killed a 70-year-old after he was electrocuted trying to cut down a tree.

Some 80,000 households remain without electricity, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said.

Tim Field, from ENA, said: “We continue working throughout today to get as many of those people back on supply as quickly and as safely as possible.

“We have seen some pretty horrendous conditions. Wales has suffered very strong winds of over 100mph, gusts in excess of 80mph and 90mph quite frequently on land, and that has caused a lot of damage across the network across Wales so that is where we are seeing the majority of those people off supply at the moment.”

The weather continues to cause travel chaos, with warnings that passengers should expect more major disruption on the rail network.

Virgin Train’s services remain suspended after they urged passengers to avoid travel.

After a brief respite today Britain faces more chaos as another storm brings heavy rain, strong winds and further risk of flooding tomorrow and into the weekend.

The West Country is expected to have 70mm (2.75in) of rain by tomorrow, the Met Office said – more than the region would normally get in the whole of February.

Snow is expected in northern England and parts of Scotland today, and tomorrow more rain and winds of up to 80mph will arrive from the South West.

With no end to the havoc in sight, Prime Minister David Cameron today put pressure on rail and power firms to help passengers and flood victims as police warned that the Thames crisis may get worse over the next fortnight.

Speaking ahead of the first meeting of a special Cabinet committee to consider long-term answers, the Prime Minister promised to discuss calls for First Class carriages to be opened up to standard ticket payers on lines suffering overcrowding during the disruption.

“It’s a very good suggestion which I will take up with them,” the Prime Minister said, referring to First Great Western services between Paddington and Reading.

Mr Cameron also urged electricity companies to consider cutting charges to people suffering in the crisis. Asked if power firms should cut bills for victims he said: “We need to see social responsibility from everybody, including business... They need to be good social partners and they need to be considering these things.”

The Ministry of Defence last night said more than 2,000 military personnel were on “high-readiness” to respond to requests in flood-affected areas.

Yesterday residents in parts of the UK were warned not to venture out after the Met Office issued a “red” weather warning for exceptionally strong winds in western Wales and north-west England.

Severe flood warnings remain in place in Berkshire, Surrey and Somerset, where severe flooding has caused hundreds of homes to be evacuated.

The River Thames is predicted to rise to its highest level in more than 60 years in some places.

Residents in Windsor, Maidenhead and communities in Surrey – where nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated – have been warned to expect severe disruption and risk of flooding.

Assistant chief of the defence staff Major General Patrick Sanders, who is co-ordinating the armed forces response, described the weather as an “almost unparalleled natural crisis”.

Last night, north-west England from Liverpool to Carlisle bore the brunt of the wind.

Manchester City’s Premier League clash with Sunderland was called off because conditions at their Etihad Stadium were “unsafe” and, on Merseyside, Everton's match with Crystal Palace also fell victim to the weather.

Residents of a block of flats in Old Trafford, Manchester, were trapped when their only staircase collapsed onto parked cars below.

Rail travel the length of the country was paralysed. Virgin Trains, which operates the West Coast main line serving London Euston, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, halted all services.

Swamped, it urged all passengers to “abandon travel” and said those already on trains would be dropped off at the nearest station.

•Pieced together from reports in Daily Star and London Evening Standard. Photo courtesy London Evening Standard.

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