Strong winds from Storm Eunice have ripped a gaping hole in the side of London's O2 Arena.
London and the east of England are covered by a rare red 'danger to life' weather warning which will remain in place until 3pm today as Storm Eunice wreaks havoc across the country.
Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power, while flights, trains and ferry services have been suspended, and roads, schools and businesses have shut.
Photos show the wind tearing through the iconic central London dome, with a hole in the white cover exposing the inside.
The venue, formerly the Millennium Dome, hosts huge shows and is also home to a number of restaurants, bars, shops and a cinema.
Mala Sharma said she had seen parts of the dome damaged, telling reporters: “More and more parts are getting ripped off”.
"It’s going to be a safety issue for people around," she added.
Ms Sharma said it happened “right in front of my eyes” and that the damage “started off with a patch” but then a “chunk” of the dome roof ripped off.
Emergency services have urged people to stay away from the worst-affected areas.
Winds of 122mph have been provisionally recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, which, if verified, would be the highest ever recorded in England.
Western Power Distribution said that, as of 1pm, more than 140,000 homes were without power, the vast majority of which were in the south west of England.
In Henley-on-Thames, a member of the public was taken to hospital with serious injuries after being struck by falling debris from a roof, Thames Valley Police said.
Meanwhile, more than 200,000 people have tuned in to a YouTube channel livestreaming plane landings at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Big Jet TV, which regularly films livestreams from Heathrow, has captured several “go-arounds”, in which an aircraft trying to land on the runway aborts its attempt, instead flying back around the airport for another attempt.
Jerry Dyer, who runs the channel, told BBC Radio 2: “This is the best scenario you could possibly imagine – big kudos to the pilots and the crews working at the airports, this is the most exciting stuff you could possibly get."
Train services are also suffering major disruption with trees and other objects blocking tracks.
No trains are operating in Wales for the entire day, Network Rail closed all routes in Kent, and every line in south-east London was blocked by trees.
Many journeys were already delayed as the organisation implemented widespread emergency 50mph speed limits before the bad weather arrived to make it easier for train drivers to brake.
