Storm causes West Coast Main Line havoc
BBCRail passengers are experiencing severe disruption with storm damage partly closing the West Coast Main Line.
Virgin Trains has suspended services north of Preston after trees toppled on to overhead power lines.
People at Carlisle station, in Cumbria, reported waiting several hours for replacement coaches to arrive.
Virgin has advised people not to travel between Preston and Glasgow and Edinburgh.
It recommended people check online for the latest updates and said tickets for delayed and cancelled journeys would be valid for travel on Friday.
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Cumbria Police received dozens of calls from 06:00 BST as a result of Storm Hector-related incidents, including several involving trees and branches falling on to roads and vehicles.
The Met Office said gusts of 71mph had been recorded at Spadeadam and 69mph at Shap.
About 400 properties in Wigton, Shap, Penrith, Carlisle and Kirkby Stephen were without power at 13:00 BST, according to Electricity North West.
Strong winds have also caused disruption in parts of Scotland.
Kerry Parvin, BBC Cumbria reporter
It's been a difficult day for people at Carlisle's railway station.
One man who was trying to get to Manchester told me he'd been stranded for two-and-a-half hours and was upset people had been not been given "any solid information".
When a replacement coach finally arrived, a big cheer went up from everyone waiting.
