London Eye capsule blown open by heavy winds – Storm Henk live updates

The British Army’s newest Apache helicopter was blown over by strong winds as Storm Henk battered parts of southern Britain on Tuesday.

The Apache AH-64E attack helicopter, which can cost around £412million, was pictured lying on its side next to emergency workers and a fire engine on an airfield in Middle Wallop, Hampshire.

It is understood no one was injured during the incident, and that all other aircraft remained undamaged. In October, the aircraft was declared “ready for front line duty”.

The Met Office has said drier, calmer and colder weather is on its way for the weekend.

“The weather patterns are changing. Drier, calmer and also colder weather is on the way for the weekend and beyond,” the forecaster said on X.

It follows a yellow rain warning issued by the forecaster for the south of England on Thursday and Friday with the chance of power cuts and the flooding of homes.

Almost 2,400 homes are without power, according to the Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK’s power network operators.

This means 7,600 have been reconnected since the association’s last update at 7am this morning.

Since the start of the disruption caused by Storm Henk, more than 170,200 homes have had power restored, the ENA said.

The outtages were the result of debris carried by intensive winds causing significant damage to power lines, said the ENA’s Ross Easton.

A family were left terrified when Storm Henk hit the London Eye and blew off part of the roof of their pod on Tuesday 2 January.

David Nock and 11 family members, including five children aged between 11 and 15, were 400ft up the attraction when a service hatch was ripped off in high winds.

The access hatch was left dangling by metal wires as the pod on the wheel rotated its way back down.

Mr Nock and his family watched on as a maintenance crew tried to fix the broken pod and described the whole experience as “terrifying”.

The popular tourist attraction was later closed “due to adverse weather conditions”.

“The noise was quite deafening, it was a bit of a harrowing experience. The kids all found it terrifying,” Mr Nock said.

Residents in Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, were prepared for potential flooding on Wednesday 3 January as the River Wye was swollen by Storm Henk.

Water surged close to the arches of the village’s Sheepwash Bridge after the storm battered the UK with torrential rain and winds of up to 90mph.

Meanwhile, several major roads in England were closed due to flooding with rail companies also reporting disruption.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said a man in his 50s was killed by a falling tree while driving near Kemble, while a separate incident saw a woman in Orpington, southeast London, injured.

Watch the moment a plane lands in strong winds at Heathrow airport as Storm Henk hits the UK.

Footage shows damage to a garden fence caused by a fallen tree in Iffley, Oxfordshire, as wind gusts of up 94mph hit large parts of the UK on Tuesday 2 January.

An amber warning for wind issued by the Met Office covered a central swathe of England, informing the public of possible travel disruption, roof damage and power cuts across southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales.

The Energy Networks Association – which collates data from all energy providers – estimated that 38,000 customers were without power as a direct result of storm damage, as of 7pm on Tuesday.

A fallen tree blocked the road to a popular cafe in Oxleas Woods, London, on Tuesday 2 January.

Storm Henk brought strong winds and heavy rain across much of southern England and Wales, with the Met Office issuing amber and yellow warnings.

Ben Spiteri captured footage of the fallen tree on Crown Woods Lane, Greenwich, at around 3:15pm on Tuesday.

He told The Independent that eight other cars were in the car park at the time, with people “trying to keep warm” at the cafe, and anybody walking in the woods needing to find an alternative route out.

Mr Spiteri’s footage also showed tree surgeons working to clear the debris on Tuesday afternoon.

A garden shed collapsed in Greenwich, southeast London, as Storm Henk battered the capital on Tuesday 2 January.

Winds of up to 69mph were registered at Heathrow airport, according to ITV Weather, while strong gusts also downed trees elsewhere.

In footage shared with The Independent, a shed is blown over by the strong winds.

Travel across the south of England was disrupted on Tuesday afternoon, with train companies urging Brits not to travel amid high winds.

Thameslink, which connects South East England and London, told passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary due to “multiple weather-related incidents across the entire network”.