LONDON - Britain cleaned up Monday after gale-force winds battered the country, killing seven people, including three children, and caused 50 million pounds (77.3 million dollars, 79.4 million euros) of damage. Thousands of homes were still without power early Monday in eastern England after winds of nearly 100 mph (160 kph) hit electricity supplies on Sunday and made travel conditions treacherous.

Rail companies and other key services worked overnight to clear tracks and roads, but train travellers were told to expect some delays Monday morning as routes were returned to normal. At London Heathrow Airport, a spokeswoman said there would be some flight cancellations Monday, following a weekend that saw 60 flights were cancelled.

On Sunday, two boys died after being struck on the head in separate incidents in east England, where a middle-aged man was also killed by a falling tree in his back garden. In central England, a 14-year-old girl was killed and her mother and sister seriously injured when a large branch crushed their car.

In mid-Wales, a man died when a large branch hit the roof of his car. In Oxford, a 22-year-old woman was killed and her two sisters were injured when a tree fell on their vehicle. And a fisherman was swept out to sea while fishing off rocks with friends north of Aberdeen.

Coastal winds topped 130 kilometres an hour in some parts of the Channel, contributing to a collision that damaged a British Royal Navy frigate and a P and O ferry in Britain's southern Portsmouth Harbour, causing no injuries. The British port of Dover and the French ports of Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne were reopened at around 2100 GMT Sunday after an earlier suspension of maritime traffic in many Channel ports.

Copyright 2002 - AFP & WeatherOnline