Storm Franklin named as third storm in a WEEK as 80mph gales blast UK with flood warnings as homes STILL without power

BRITS are bracing for more weather misery today as the third named storm in just a WEEK lashes the country with 80mph gales - just a day after killer Storm Eunice.

Storm Franklin will bring "severe and damaging gusts" across Northern Ireland from tonight until tomorrow morning, with an amber warning in place from midnight.

'Danger to life' flood warnings are in place in Manchester, with locals living along the River Mersey at East and West Didsbury urged to take action.

Manchester City Council said homes may be evacuated.

"Residents who may be affected should be prepared and follow advice, should they be asked to leave their home," officials said.

"Anyone required to evacuate will be asked to make their own risk assessment as to what they do. "

Meanwhile, more than 40,000 homes around the UK are still without power after the worst winter tempest in a generation killed four on Friday.

The Met Office has issued a slew of weather warnings for today and tomorrow, with millions facing misery from high winds as they travel to work on Monday.

Forecasters say blasts will cause even more power cuts, transport delays and damage.

Sunday's yellow warnings cover Wales and most of England from midday until 3pm, and the North West and Northern Ireland from midday until midnight.

Identical wind warnings have been issued for Monday.

A yellow warning for rain, meaning "there is a chance that homes and businesses could be flooded", is also in place for Cumbria, Lancashire and West Yorkshire from midnight until 6pm on Sunday.

The Energy Networks Association said it believes the UK may have experienced a record outage over a 24-hour period on Friday, with around 1.3million homes affected.

It comes as:

• Die-hard party-goers made the most of their Saturday night, despite the terrible weather
• More than 40,000 households are still without power after killer Storm Eunice
• A mum told of how she cowered inside while gale-force winds tore off her roof
• Tributes have been paid to a 23-year-old dad killed during the worst tempest in a generation
• Footage shows the terrifying moment a tree hit a bus on Friday

Electricity provider Western Power Distribution (WPD) confirmed the outage was the most widespread ever recorded for the south west of England.

The company said: "Since it first hit, Storm Eunice has officially caused the highest number of power cuts in a 24 hour period our South West region has ever experienced.

"Our engineers are continuing to work relentlessly to restore supplies to our customers despite the awful conditions."

At the height of the storm, the roof of the O2 Arena in London was damaged - causing rapper Dave's upcoming concerts to be postponed - and the spire of St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset, crashed to the ground.

On Saturday, northern England faced blizzards and those on the south-coast braced for more gale-force winds.

Meteorologists have warned Sunday could see gales of up to 80mph in some parts of England.

It's the same speed recorded at Heathrow Airport on Friday when thousands watched planes struggling to land on YouTube channel Big Jet TV.

KILLER STORM

Greg Dewhurst of the Met Office said today will be "another windy day across the UK".

"This will have an impact on the clearing up process over the course of the day," he said.

"Unfortunately, yet more wet and windy weather is expected this weekend, but not on the same scale as Storm Eunice," Aidan McGivern of the service said.

"The winds pick up significantly later in the day on Sunday.

"There's the risk for northern parts of the country - northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland - of 50 to 60mph gusts inland and 70 to 80mph around exposed coasts and hills."

The Association of British Insurers indicated that the clean-up could cost more than £300m.

A spokesman said: "No two storms are the same.

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"The last significant storms to hit the UK - Ciara and Dennis - led to insurers paying out over £360m."

National Rail has warned there is still "major disruption" to train services "across most of Great Britain".

Tragically, three Brits and an Irishman are known to have been killed on Friday.

A woman in her 30s, who was a passenger in a car, died in Haringey, North London, when a tree fell onto the vehicle.

A man in his 30s, who was behind the wheel, was taken to hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

In Hampshire, 23-year-old dad Jack Bristow was killed and a second man seriously injured when a 10-foot tree fell in market town Alton.

A man in his 50s died when debris smashed through the windscreen of a car in Merseyside.

And a man in his 60s died in Co Wexford when he was crushed by a tree as he cleared debris.

Elsewhere, three people were taken to hospital - one with serious injuries - after a tree fell on a car in Wiltshire, while two others were hurt in a balcony collapse in London.

The storm's 122mph gales are believed to be the highest ever recorded in England.