Maintenance crews struggling to deal with damage caused by gale-force winds

Maintenance crews and firemen have been struggling to deal with the damage caused by the gale force winds that swept through the Czech Republic on Thursday night, bringing down power lines and stopping trains. Fire brigades were called to 700 emergencies in the wake of the storm and 30,000 homes were left without power.

Most rail routes were cleared in the course of Friday morning although over 5,000 households in the northern and western parts of the country were still without power. Many roads remain impassable and drivers have been asked not to set out on longer journeys if at all possible.

The Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the north-western parts of the country is closed to tourists because of the danger of falling trees. Thousands of trees were uprooted by the storm and many others are damaged.