As the increasingly ferocious winds hit the country, fallen trees, falling debris and power lines have caused roads to be closed and left hundreds of homes without power.  

The strong gusts have also caused a section of the M4 at the Briton Ferry Bridge in Wales to be flooded in both directions and seen gusts of around 70mph recorded at South Uist in Scotland. 

As the severe gales continue to gather strength, two crashes have already been reported on the M4 this afternoon and highway officials have had to shut down a five-mile stretch of the A465 due to a burst river bank at Hirwaun, South Wales.

In Ireland, drivers were left tackling the deteriorating weather conditions as snow and sleet hit the N7 in Dublin and caused severe travel disruptions.

As Britain braces itself for the severe weather, partial road blocks were also seen in Cornwall and Devon after trees and power lines fell into the road.

Land’s End in Cornwall also shook to gusts of nearly 70mph as the storm whipped in from the Atlantic as darkness fell. 

At one point, police in the Duchy of Cornwall took six wind-related emergency calls in the space of 15 minutes. 

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A person carries their shopping bag through snowy conditions in Rathcoole, Dublin, as Storm Freya sweeps over the nation

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Road users try to tackle the severe weather conditions in Rathcoole, Dublin, as winds of up to 80mph sweep over the country

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A person travelling through the A465 in Wales shows the heavily flooded roads caused by Storm Freya as the ferocious winds continue to sweep across the UK

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The severe weather led to a car crashing on the M4 between Bridgend and Pencoed. South West Police later released the picture and wrote: ‘Please slow down in wet conditions. There is more rain on the way this afternoon.’

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Storm Freya hits the south coast of the UK today at the 35 metre-high Longships Lighthouse at Land’s End, Cornwall. Gigantic waves as the wind whips up the sea towards shore

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Waves smash against the North West coast at Blackpool with Storm Freya set to hit later this afternoon as Met Office issues weather warnings

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Fierce waves crash against the harbour wall at Porthcawl, Wales, as Storm Freya brings strong winds of up to 80mph to the UK 

Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith tweeted ‘The storm has arrived in Cornwall! Going to be very windy for next few hours

‘Six emergency calls in last 15 minutes regarding trees and power cables down! To the locals – best stay indoors and have a cup of tea.

‘Emergency services going to be very busy for the next few hours.’  

The worsening conditions, which will see winds of up to 80mph hit the nation, are expected to continue causing travel disruptions to England and Wales today.    

In Derby, a fallen tree outside a YMCA centre has left those trying to travel into the city centre having to find alternative routes. 

Earlier today, spectators braced the strong winds and were swamped by a big wave as they tried to capture Storm Freya on their mobile phones at Newquay, Cornwall. 

The storm also saw fierce waves crash against the harbour wall at Porthcawl in Wales.

Forecasters have predicted the storm will be severe enough to risk injuries and danger to life from flying debris and large waves, and there could also be damage to buildings and trees, with road hazards and power cuts possible.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning, which runs from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday, and predicted possible blizzards in the Peak District.

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As the wrangling intensified, the EU commission president delivered a stinging rebuke to calls from the PM to rework the insurance policy – saying it ‘cannot be removed’ from the divorce package.

He also dismissed the idea that the other states will abandon Ireland for fear of damaging their own economies, saying solidarity ‘goes to the heart of what being a member of the EU means’.

‘Ireland’s border is our border,’ he said.

But speaking in the European Parliament, Mr Juncker also admitted the threat of no deal Brexit is rising. Michel Barnier joined in the tough talk by complaining that the ‘blame game’ against the EU in the UK was ‘hard to accept’. 

Mr Juncker was greeted warmly by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage in Brussels today, despite their differences over Brexit  

Mr Coveney said Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street today) was desperately trying to ‘accommodate’ the right wing of her party despite it undermining her own position

The intervention came as Cabinet ministers played down the wall of rejection from the EU following Mrs May’s triumph in a series of Commons votes last night.

One told MailOnline that everyone needed to remain ‘calm’ as ‘noise’ from Brussels was only to be expected.

‘This is just what the EU does. It never makes any kind of deal until the last moment,’ they said.

‘We are inevitably going to get all sorts of dire warnings and blank denials.

‘It is just a lot of noise. People just need to stay calm and let the PM work.’

In a glimmer of light for Mrs May, the Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki revealed he had phoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel to urge her to find a way through the impasse.

Speaking after Mr Juncker and Mr Barnier in the European Parliament, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said the prospect of a no-deal Brexit had increased because of the attitude of Brussels ‘fanatics’ who refused to compromise. 

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