Western Europe cleans up after Storm Eunice leaves destruction and at least 12 dead

Sven Good looks out from his bedroom window at the damage caused to the family home during Storm Eunice, in Stondon Massey, England. (AP: Nicholas T Ansell/PA)

Crews are clearing fallen trees and working to restore power to about 400,000 people in the UK as western Europe cleans up after one of the most damaging storms in years.

At least 12 people were killed, many by falling trees, in Ireland, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Named Storm Eunice by the UK and Irish weather services, and Storm Zeynep in Germany, Friday's storm was the second to hit the region in a week.

Winds toppled the spire of a church in Wells, south-west England, ripped off parts of the domed roof of London's O2 Arena and left a trail of felled trees and damaged buildings across several countries.

A gust of 196 kilometres an hour was provisionally recorded Friday on the Isle of Wight. If confirmed, it would be the highest ever in England. Hurricane-force winds begin at 119 kilometres an hour.

Debris is seen in a bedroom after a 400-year-old oak tree in the garden was uprooted by Storm Eunice. (AP: Nicholas T Ansell/PA)

The Met Office weather service said more strong winds would hit the southern coasts of England and Wales on Saturday, with the potential for further damage, while snow and ice could cause disruption further north.

The UK's National Rail association said "routes across most of Great Britain" remained affected by the weather on Saturday morning, with disruptions to continue throughout the day.

Firefighters rescue a man from his car in a flooded street in Hamburg, Germany.  (AP: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa)

Transport in Germany also remained severely disrupted, with railway operator Deutsche Bahn saying no long-distance trains would operate north of Dortmund, Hannover and Berlin until at least 6pm.

The storm left at least three people dead in Germany, including a man who fell as he was trying to repair a damaged roof and a driver whose car crashed into a tree that had fallen across a road.

An approximately 270-year-old trestle windmill fallen over on a hill due to the storm on the outskirts of the village Klettbach, Germany. (AP: Bodo Schackow/dpa)

In the north-western city of Bremen, a 55-metre crane fell onto an unfinished office building.

A clean-up also was underway in the Netherlands, where four people died as Eunice tore across the country on Friday.

Cars damaged by debris from a roof following the storm in Berlin, Germany. (Reuters: Christian Mang)

Train services, halted during the storm, remained disrupted with the company responsible for rail infrastructure saying that it was working hard to repair "extensive" damage to tracks and overhead power lines.

Engineers were expected to assess damage to the roof of a stadium in The Hague where professional soccer team ADO The Hague plays its home matches after parts of the structure were blown loose.

The remains of a collapsed roof lie on a Porsche after hurricane Zeynep in Eversmeer, Germany. (AP: Lars-Josef Klemmer/dpa)

Across the country, teams were shifting fallen trees and beginning to repair roofs damaged by the storm.

ABC/wires