Storm Eunice rips apart The O2: Large panels fly off iconic arena as wind speeds hit 122MPH.

The roof of The O2 was partially ripped off by Storm Eunice today as lorries were blown over and trees were felled after England was hit by the strongest winds on record while millions of Britons were urged to stay at home.

Wight today is provisionally the highest gust ever in England and means Storm Eunice is now worse than the 1987 Great Storm when gusts peaked at 115mph in West Sussex.

Today's warnings run from 7am until 12pm in the South West and 10am to 3pm in the South East with forecasters concerned over 'flying debris resulting in danger to life' as well as 'roofs blown off and power lines brought down'.

Hundreds of schools were closed, all trains in Wales were suspended and rail passengers across England were told not to travel amid mass cancellations as the Army was on standby for what could be the worst storm since 1990.

Panels on the roof of The O2 in London were ripped off, two lorries were blown over on the M4 in South Wales and shocking footage filmed in Bude, Cornwall, showed the storm taking down a huge tree which crashed onto a park.

British Airways cancelled more than 130 flights at London Heathrow and City airports, motorists were warned only to make essential journeys and major attractions closed including the London Eye, Kew Gardens and Legoland.

Network Rail said all of London's main train stations will likely temporarily suspend all services for a few hours this afternoon, with Waterloo having already stopped all services due to the large number of trees on the tracks.

Rail operators including c2c in Essex and Southeastern in Kent cancelled all services, the M4 and M48 Severn crossings were both closed and Royal Mail suspended deliveries and closed delivery offices in all red areas. The M2 Medway Bridge in Kent was closed in both directions between Rochester and Maidstone due to strong winds.

Some 28,000 homes in the South West were without power, while parks across London were closed and taped off - and police were seen ordering a dog walker to leave Primrose Hill in the capital immediately.

The man involved, film producer David Broder, 57, told MailOnline: 'I saw two police vehicles and then was approached by a police officer who came running towards me shouting, 'Get out the park now', which I thought, 'he's a bit over excited'.

The police officer then informed me that the park is now closed and I have to leave. I thought I'll get into the park, obviously 10am is the time (the red warning begins), my dog walker's cancelled today, so I thought I'll just do a quick half an hour as I do most days anyway.' When asked whether he saw anyone else being told to leave, he said: 'Yes. This was ridiculous, as I just wanted to take my dog out for half an hour or so before the storm sets in.'

All outpatient appointments were cancelled at Royal Cornwall Hospital today 'to keep people safe'. In addition, Universities, National Trust sites and other tourist venues including Kensington Palace also shut today, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'Please stay at home, do not take risks and do not travel unless absolutely essential.'

Transport for London part-suspended train services on five Underground lines, the Docklands Light Railway and Overground. It urged people to avoid non-essential travel, while the Environment Agency told Britons to avoid travelling to the coast for dramatic photographs - saying it was 'probably the most stupid thing you can do'.

The Government's Cobra civil contingencies committee will meet this afternoon to discuss the response to the storm for the second time in two days, with the meeting again chaired by Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis.

Network Rail urged customers to avoid travelling, with many services either cancelled or delayed, and trains running at 50mph due to the increased risk of having to brake for debris on the track. Major roads including the A66 cross-Pennine route and the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow were partially closed due to high winds.

The Met Office issued the first red warning for the South West at 11am yesterday, 20 hours in advance, before issuing the second for the South East at 4am today - just six hours before the 'extremely strong winds' begin.

The South West warning covers coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as South Wales due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge - while the second is over most of South East England.