Two children were airlifted to hospital when a wall collapsed on them as hurricane-force winds battered Britain.

The youngsters, a boy and girl aged five and seven, suffered serious leg injuries when the stone garden wall fell on them on Monday morning in the Worcestershire village of Bretforton near Evesham.

Emergency services were called out at 8.55am to the B4035, the main road through the village, and firefighters pulled the pair from the rubble.

Paramedics stabilised them before they were flown to hospital for treatment, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said.

A father and daughter near Exeter in Devon also reportedly had a lucky escape when a 100ft (30.5m) tree was blown onto their car parked outside their house, minutes before they were about to leave to travel to school.

The incidents occurred as 80mph winds from Storm Imogen swept across the UK, leaving a swathe of damage and more than ten thousand homes without power.

Travel was also severely disrupted as gales and heavy rain forced road closures and caused delays to rail services, with airports warning flights may be disrupted.

The South West, Wales, the south coast and Ireland have borne the brunt of the storm, with seaside communities lashed by huge sea swells caused by hurricane-force winds and high tides.

Fastnet lighthouse, off the south west of County Cork, recorded sustained winds of up to 121mph, while gusts of 96mph occurred at the Needles off the Isle of Wight.

Police have closed Bridgend town centre in South Wales over concerns for public safety and fears of injuries from tiles being blown from roofs, while the Environment Agency has warned people to take extreme care in coastal areas, urging them not to venture out to take "selfies".

Waves of at least 46ft (14m) are expected off Devon and Cornwall, and the Met Office said a wave of 63ft (19.1m) was recorded off the coast of St Ives.

Almost 13,500 homes have been left without power, the vast majority across the South West and South Wales, Western Power Distribution said.

Engineers worked through the night to reconnect homes but over 5,000 properties are still affected in Cornwall, 2,500 in Devon and 1,000 in Gloucestershire. A further 5,000 homes and businesses were also hit in southern Ireland.

As winds of around 80mph were widely recorded there were scores of reports of damage, with people posting pictures on social media of felled trees, downed scaffolding, garden trampolines blown into properties and damaged homes.

Cars parked at Fistral Beach in Newquay were left half-submerged in sand as wind lashed the beach, a lorry was blown over on the M4 and in Yatton, North Somerset, a roof blew off a Lloyds Bank branch in the high street.

The Forestry Commission has also closed a number of forests due to dangers from strong winds.

Around 230 Environment Agency flood warnings are in place across the UK amid heavy downpours, with 57 warnings calling for "immediate action", particularly in the South West and Wales where parts are expected to see up to more than 1.5ins (40mm) of rain during Monday.