Icy storm lashes France and Germany causing hardship

Lion-sur-Mer, northern France: The storm battered the Normandy coast

An icy storm has been lashing parts of western Europe, causing power cuts in many homes, felling trees and disrupting some rail services.

In France power cuts affected more than 237,000 homes as the storm swept across Normandy and regions north of Paris. In Dieppe, on the coast, the wind speed reached 146km/h (90.5mph).

The area around Hamburg's fish market has been flooded

The storm, nicknamed "Egon", later hit southern Germany - mainly Rhineland-Palatinate and northern Bavaria. Power cuts and traffic jams were widespread. Emergency teams were out in force during the night in France and Germany.


Meanwhile, flood defences have been reinforced on Belgium's coast. The cold snap across Europe has claimed more than 65 lives. Poland and much of southeastern Europe, including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and western Turkey, are in the grip of heavy snow and freezing cold.