UK weather: Storm Katie pictures show damage caused by high winds and heavy rain across UK

Winds of 70 mph have brought down trees, scaffolding and walls

Rubble strewn across the road outside The Duchess public house in Battersea, south west London (PA)

Heavy rain and strong winds have swept across England and Wales as Storm Katie hit Britain in the run-up to Easter Monday.

Bridges have been closed, flights diverted and buildings have partially collapsed as gusts of up to 100 mph arrived in southern parts of the UK.

Other damage has come to light following a night in which Twitter buzzed with complaints of sleeplessness.

The roof of a pub collapsed into the road outside The Duchess pub after high winds blew away brickwork in Battersea in the south-west of the capital.

Rubble strewn across the road outside The Duchess public house in Battersea, south west London, after Storm Katie's high winds brought down part of the building's roof support. (PA)

In Greenwich, a crane in was folded in half by the 60-to 70 mph winds which swept inland from the coast - while the gates of Richmond Park were kept firmly shut as a safety precaution.

Emergency services have evacuated the area where a crane was folded almost on itself by winds (Twitter/Gavin Rolfe ) (Twitter/Gavin Rolfe)

The Met Office has issued amber wind warnings for London and the South-east, and has also put the east and south-west of England and south Wales on yellow alert for rain.

More than 150 flood warnings have also been issued by the Environment Agency following heavy rain and rising river levels.

The full effects of the storm were also felt at a shopping centre in a suburb of Reading after scaffolding surrounding it collapsed overnight.

Early morning arrivals at Heathrow and Gatwick were diverted to Ireland and Scotland, both of which have missed the worst of the weather, as well as further north to Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Ships and ferries have also been suspended in Dover harbour because of the strong winds and high seas.

Thousands of homes in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Oxfordshire and the home counties were left without power, with some reconnected and others still waiting for electricity and heating.

Fallen trees and debris in flood water has also held up motorists, while the Dartford River Crossing and M48 Severn Bridge were closed completely overnight on Sunday by Highways England.

Junctions on the M6 north have now re-opened after being shut because of rain running off fields flooding the lanes.

Places which have seen the highest rainfall since Easter Monday morning include Leek in Staffordshire with 34 mm, Tredegar in south Wales with 33 mm and Exeter with 26 mm, according to the Met Office.

Things also got tricky for the Cambridge Blues women's team, which was nearly sunk by the choppy waves on Sunday.

The Cambridge boat takes on water in the rough conditions during The Cancer Research UK Women's Boat Race (Getty Images)

Several Twitter users also bid farewell to their recycling bins, with one saying it was "like a Dalek invasion" with "all the wheelie bins wandering the streets."