WINDS gusting at up to 80mph caused havoc throughout York, North and East Yorkshire, with roads closed, trains severely delayed, and trees falling all over the region.

Thousands of passengers were delayed at York Station after southbound GNER services were affected by significant problems on the lines.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail, which owns the station, said: "We're having extreme weather throughout the country.

"There are all manner of issues on the track, including electricity lines down and trees on the line.

"We've had speed restrictions operating all day."

A GNER spokesman said: "Due to numerous weather related incidents on the East Coast Main Line, GNER train services are being severely disrupted this afternoon.

"Passengers are asked to defer travel until tomorrow if possible, as we cannot guarantee to get them to their final destination by alternative means today."

He added that GNER tickets dated for today would be valid tomorrow.

Haxby Road was closed between the Wigginton Road junction and Haley's Terrace at around 1pm after masonry and sheet metal fell from the roof of Nestle Rowntree.

The road was not reopened until afternoon, causing traffic chaos in the city centre.

And in a precautionary move, City of York Council closed all its parks because of the high winds.

A spokesman for electricity distribution firm NEDL said more than 2,000 customers had lost their electricity during the winds.

He said all overhead linesmen had been put on standby and resources and vehicles deployed around the region.