STRANDED travellers swamped York station staff after the worst storms in ten years forced the cancellation of all trains to London.

Queues built up around customer services points, and demand for hotel bookings rocketed as ticket-holders struggled desperately to find an alternative way to travel south or somewhere to spend the night.

At one point, British Transport Police officers were called on to the platform in case the crowds got out of hand.

Car rental staff at Hertz's York station office were inundated with requests, but had to turn customers away after its fleet of five vehicles was quickly snapped up.

Staff at the station's tourist information centre said about 40 accommodation bookings were made, when requests would normally have been in single figures.

The disruption began at about 8am yesterday after gale force winds battering the south of Britain saw GNER bosses cancel all trains south of Doncaster.

Gusts of up to 100mph had left debris scattered on the East Coast Main Line and damaged overhead power lines.

"Services were able to run from Doncaster to Berwick, but anything other than that was cancelled," GNER spokesman Dave Mallender said.

Today, stranded travellers were finally able to make progress as train services resumed.

A 30-year-old policeman from York, who asked not to be named, was supposed to join the Metropolitan Police yesterday.

He was philosophical about the disruption.

He said he had contacted his employers to let them know of the chaos. "They were fine about it. They knew nothing could be done. I'm starting today."

John and Ann Romish, their daughter, Lisa, and her partner, Eddie Mui, from Portland, Oregon, USA, missed trains yesterday.

But Lisa said: "We were stuck in York, but we found a hotel OK and had a walk around this beautiful city, so something good came from it."

Passenger Charles Hutchinson was one of the North Yorkshire passengers stranded at Kings Cross, and had to find overnight accommodation last night.

He finally made it back to York by mid-morning today after catching the 6.15am service from King's Cross, which was dogged by engine failure and speed restrictions.

He said: "There was frustration, but the administration at Kings Cross was pretty good. Bed and breakfast owners were walking around the station offering people accommodation."

Elsewhere, the storms claimed the lives of seven people, including two boys, one aged 12 and another aged about three.

Both were struck on the head by falling debris in separate incidents in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Four of the other five victims were killed by falling branches, three of them on the roads, as police advised motorists to stay at home.

Train services were cancelled in other areas yesterday, with "severe delays" predicted today on the East Anglia to London route.

About 60 flights were cancelled, with some cancellations expected today.

A spokeswoman for P&O ferries said its services from Hull were not affected by the storms.

"There has been one delay so far today, with a service from Zeebrugge an hour late. Otherwise things are OK," she said.

PA weather forecasters said calmer, drier weather was now expected.

In East Anglia, thousands of properties were still without power today after yesterday's gales hit electricity supplies, and dozens of minor roads remained blocked by fallen trees and debris.

Many minor roads were fully or partially blocked by trees and branches in Suffolk and Norfolk.

Norfolk Police dealt with three times the usual number of incidents for an average Sunday in October at 1,589.

In the West Country, hundreds of homes were left without power after winds hit overhead power cables.

A spokeswoman for Western Power Distribution said 660 homes in Exeter were still without power today. In Cornwall, 140 homes in the Bodmin area and 40 in Redruth were still affected.

The spokeswoman said 15,000 homes across the two counties were cut off yesterday after winds of up to 90mph hit the region.

A spokesman for AA Roadwatch today said all roads in Devon and Cornwall were open as usual.

In Wales, 15,000 homes were still without electricity.

A spokesman for Wales and Borders trains said leaves on the line between Cardiff and Manchester were causing delays and there would be no service between Cardiff and London Waterloo.

Updated: 15:48 Monday, October 28, 2002