London, Oct 28 (IANS): Strong winds and torrential rain battered the southern parts of Britain Monday, disrupting power, forcing cancellation of flights and blocking railway lines.

Winds of over 99 miles an hour (159 kmph) have been recorded, BBC cited the Met Office as saying.

At least 13 flood warnings have been issued by Britain's Environment Agency.

According to the country's energy networks, at least 220,000 homes are without power, the report added.

The railway lines, blocked by more than 100 fallen trees, were being cleared by special trains, Network Rail said.

"In four cases, the train being sent through to inspect the line has hit a fallen tree and we have one train in Devon which is currently disabled following a collision with a fallen tree. We are also dealing with a landslip in the New Forest area," BBC quoted Robin Gisby, Network Rail operations managing director, as saying.

"As the storm passes from west to east, we will be carrying out safety assessments as quickly as possible to clear routes and get trains running safely," he added.

According to the Daily Mail, many people were injured after being hit by falling trees.

A teenage boy is also feared dead after being swept out to sea in Newhaven, East Sussex, it added.

The storm, named St. Jude, hit southwest Britain late Sunday night before moving to the northeast of the country.