Storm Eleanor has lashed the UK with violent storm-force winds of up to 100mph, leaving thousands of homes without power and hitting transport links.

Widespread disruption is expected on Wednesday after the storm swept across the country overnight carrying heavy rain, hail and dramatic thunder and lightning.

Waves crash over the stone jetty wall in Aberystwyth
Waves crash over the stone jetty wall in Aberystwyth, west Wales (Aaron Chown/PA)

A partially collapsed harbour wall in Portreath, Cornwall
A partially collapsed harbour wall in Portreath, Cornwall (Steve Parsons/PA)

Waves crash against the cliffs in Portreath
The scene in Portreath (Steve Parsons/PA)

A car drives through a flooded car park in Salthill, Galway
A car drives through a flooded car park in Salthill in Galway, Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA)

Flooded cars in Galway, Ireland (Emma Hayward/Twitter/PA)
Flooded cars in Galway (Emma Hayward/Twitter/PA)

The river Shannon bursting its banks at Bishops Quay, Limerick, Ireland (@gneote/Twitter/PA)
The river Shannon bursting its banks at Bishops Quay, Limerick, Ireland (@gneote/Twitter/PA)

Flooding in Galway, Ireland (Michael Scott/Twitter/PA)
Flooding in Galway, Ireland (Michael Scott/Twitter/PA)

The clean-up begins on the Welsh coast
The clean-up begins on the Welsh coast (Aaron Chown/PA)

Floods in Newquay
Floods in Newquay (Steve Parsons/PA)

The DFDS Dover Seaways ferry crashes through waves at The Port of Dover
The DFDS Dover Seaways ferry crashes through waves at the Port of Dover (Gareth Fuller/PA)

A woman jogs through sea foam in Blackpool
A woman jogs through sea foam in Blackpool (Peter Byrne/PA)

A long exposure of Nottingham Castle as Storm Eleanor lashed the UK with violent winds
A long exposure of Nottingham Castle as Storm Eleanor lashed the UK with violent winds (Neil Squires/PA)

The scene at Langstone Harbour in Eastney, Portsmouth
The scene at Langstone Harbour in Eastney, Portsmouth (Ben Mitchell/PA)

Frank Pinnock, seven, from Portsmouth, returns a starfish to the sea at Southsea beach, Portsmouth
Frank Pinnock, seven, from Portsmouth, returns a starfish to the sea at Southsea beach, Portsmouth (Ben Mitchell/PA)