Storm death toll hits 13 as insurers count cost

The final bill for the fierce storm that battered the UK this week is likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds with insurance companies inundated yesterday with calls for repairs to shattered roofs, chimneys, and cars flattened by falling trees.

Gusty weather continued to claim victims and add to the damage toll yesterday, as the country began to limp back to normal. The number of dead rose to 13 as the Meteorological Office confirmed that the storm was Britain's worst for 17 years with the highest windspeeds topping 100mph at Huntingdon.