Stormy weather conditions which disrupted flights and tore the roof from a building are due to ease temporarily - before another spell of wind and rain hits the UK.

The 48-hour period of wild weather began with Storm Brendan hammering Ireland on Monday, causing thousands of homes to lose power, before bringing winds in excess of 80mph to parts of Scotland and England.

Airlines were forced to divert flights scheduled to land at Gatwick Airport on Monday evening while ferries and railways faced disruption.

A second low-pressure front brought further strong gales to much of the country on Tuesday, causing the roof of an apartment block to crash into Slough High Street in Berkshire.

A woman holds an umbrella, blown inside-out by the wind (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)

Gusts in the area were in excess of 50mph at the time of the incident, according to the Met Office .

An enormous chunk of a roof was torn off of the block of flats housing 200 people.

Shocking footage shows the roof of the building in ruins, with debris and bags being blown around the street.

People can be seen trying to salvage shop signs and awnings that were narrowly missed by the huge structure.

Emergency services in Slough high street after a roof was blown off a building onto the road amid strong winds (
Image:
PA)

In west London, part of a roof collapsed on tube line tracks at Ravenscourt Park during the high winds.

A commuter told the Express Online the roof "sparked and smoked" as it collapsed.

As a result there were severe delays on the Piccadilly and District lines.

In Hammersmith part of the roof has blown onto the tracks (
Image:
plasticscouser_/Twitter)

In Cornwall, the small village of Malpas, which boasts of some of the best river views has been cut off from the rest of the world after a large tree came down in gale force winds.

Chris Barker, the Royal Mail postie, said: "It is annoying. I only had about 20 minutes left on my shift and now I’m stranded here. I guess I’ll have to take refuge in the pub.

"It's the only road in and out and it's blocked. They are going to have to come quickly because no emergency vehicle could get through. The village is completely blocked off."

Slough high street after a roof was blown off a building onto the road amid strong winds which have battered parts of the UK (
Image:
PA)

A yellow warning of wind covering much of England is due to expire at 5am on Wednesday, while a rain warning covering south-east England is scheduled to cease at 9am.

Meteorologist Alex Burkill, from the Met Office, said: "It will take a little while but the rain should clear by lunchtime.

"Once it does clear away, otherwise tomorrow, most places are in for some decent sunny spells."

There could be further thundery showers mainly to the north and west of the UK, with the chance of sleet and snow across the hills and mountains of Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to the forecaster.

The Met Office is warning of strong winds and rain to follow Storm Brendan (
Image:
Met Office)

Some 25 flood warnings and 165 flood alerts were issued by the Environment Agency on Tuesday, as coastal areas struggled with strong gusts, high tides and large waves.

Rail passengers faced delays and temporary speed limits due to the heavy winds and fallen trees, while drivers were advised to take extra care on the roads.

Although the wind is due to ease off on Wednesday, conditions will still be blustery, Mr Burkill said, and temperatures are due to dip slightly to 9 degrees.

But he warned that more unsettled weather was ahead on Thursday, particularly during the second half of the day, when places across the country could expect wet and windy weather.

"It doesn't look as bad as what we've had through the past couple of days," he added.

"At the moment it looks like we'll stay warning free (on Thursday). It's just a windy day rather than a hazardous one."

A gust of 78mph was recorded on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday, while the village of Libanus in Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, saw 42mm of rainfall in 24 hours, according to the Met Office.

It has been reported elsewhere that a large amount of snow may be on the way at the end of the month.

However, Mr Burkill said while it is likely there would be small amounts of snow and sleet in parts of Scotland today and into the rest of the month, "we have no significant signs before the end of the month".

"Even into the middle of February, which will be milder."