Trees down, trains cancelled and roads flooded as Storm Elin hits the North West

Cars have been smashed by trees brought down in strong winds while power lines on the rail network have 'exploded' as Storm Elin moved through the North West.

Videos show the damage caused by the winds - with gusts of up to 45mph - in Stalybridge, Tameside, as a car can be seen with its front and back windows smashed, and roof caved in, after a large tree fell during the storm.

It is not yet known if anybody was hurt, or if houses were damaged, as the tree was brought down on Mottram Road.

• The moment an overhead power cable explodes at Manchester Piccadilly, MEN Media

Meanwhile Manchester Piccadilly was hit by serious disruption after an overhead line 'exploded' as the storm battered the city.

A video, taken by a passenger who was on a train near Piccadilly around 5:40pm, shows large flashes of light and sparks coming from overhead wires.

Shortly after the video was taken, railway bosses confirmed damage had been done to the overhead wires.

It is now believed to have been caused by a fallen tree.

Northern Rail had issued a 'do not travel' alert to passengers due to 'multiple weather-related incidents' - and says services are expected to be delayed until midday on Sunday.

Some Metrolink lines were also brought to a standstill across Manchester as trams were forced to stop after a 'tarp' became caught on the over head cables.

Shudehill and Market Street tram stops closed as engineers and the fire service work to free the lines.

The BeeNetwork travel alerts has the latest on the disruption.

Fallen trees also caused disruption to a number of Merseyrail services, including services in Kirkby and Freshfields.

An obstruction on the track between Kirkdale and Ormskirk means all lines are disrupted. As a result, trains may be cancelled or revised. It is expected to last until around 11am.

You can use Merseyrail's journey planner to the latest updates.

Residents in Formby, in Merseyside, were left without power for a number of hours after a mass power cut affected the whole area at around 5.30pm.

Power was restored to most homes two hours later.

Services have also been suspended on Blackpool Tramway between Fleetwood Ferry and Starr Gate due to the poor weather conditions.

Windy conditions caused destruction in parts of Liverpool last night.

A tree was uprooted by high winds on Thingwall Road in Wavertree.

A number of roads across the region were also closed due to flooding, including the M66 at J1, and the A679 Accrington Road in Burnley.

The storm was named by the Irish meteorological service, Met Eireann, and a series of weather warnings have been issued across the British and Irish isles.

Parts of northern England could see up to 30mm of rain, with a yellow warning in place for an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield until 3am on Sunday.

A yellow wind alert is in place over parts of northern England and the Midlands.