A 50-MILE stretch of the A1 was closed as gales battered the region yesterday, blowing over lorries, damaging buildings and causing power cuts.

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for the North-East and North Yorkshire as emergency services battled to recover wrecked vehicles, but no serious injuries were reported.

The A1 was closed in both directions between Bowburn, County Durham, and Dishforth, North Yorkshire, as gusts of up to 80mph were recorded.

Ten lorries were blown over between Wetherby and Scotch Corner and traffic was diverted via the A168, causing congestion in Northallerton and Thirsk.

A wagon overturned on the A6108 Richmond to Downholme road and a strong gust blew a van into the central reservation of the A1, near Leeming.

The A66 trans-Pennine route, the A19 Tees viaduct near Stockton, the A689 near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and the A189 near Gateshead, were closed to high-sided vehicles. The Middlesbrough transporter bridge and Newcastle's Redheugh Bridge were also closed.

East Coast Main Line train operator National Express imposed an 80mph speed restriction between Northallerton and Scotland, adding up to 20 minutes to journeys.

Power lines were damaged, cutting supplies to dozens of homes and businesses. Gareth Pearson, operations director for CE Electric UK, electricity distributor for the North-East and North Yorkshire, said staff would work through the night to restore supplies.

In Darlington, advertising hoardings blew onto vehicles in Commercial Street car park, and a steeplejack removed shards of glass and boarded up a gap after a roof pane at the Cornmill shopping centre was smashed at 7.30am. Gladstone Street was closed after panels on the rooftop terrace of The Gastro restaurant were blown off.

A large wooden Wendy house took to the air at Croft Primary School, near Darlington, where a witness said it resembled something from the Wizard of Oz.

In Sedgefield, County Durham, firefighters removed a fallen tree, and minor roads across the region were blocked by toppled trees.

A family with three children fled their home in Benwell Grove, Newcastle, at 2am when a gable end collapsed. A couple escaped unhurt when a 4x4 and caravan were blown over on the A1 near Morpeth at 8.15am.

The Met Office said the winds would abate overnight but could reach 60mph this morning.