HORRENDOUS driving conditions caused scores of accidents and closed a 20-mile stretch of the A1M last night.

High winds sweeping the region also brought down power lines and trees, loosened the roof at a motorway service station and left police dealing with multiple accidents, mainly involving overturned lorries.

About 800 homes in Weardale, County Durham, were left without electricity when power lines were blown down at about12.30pm. All but 159 houses had power back by 7pm, with most of the others due to have their supplies restored during the night.

But at least 35 homes were expected to be left without power until the winds dropped sufficiently for staff from energy company NEDL to work safely.

On the roads, numerous accidents included a Scania articulated lorry being blown over, near Durham services at Bowburn, on the A1M northbound carriageway, at 4.40pm. This caused miles of traffic jams during rush hour.

Traffic was diverted, but police were inundated with calls of other incidents throughout the early part of the evening.

A Ford Transit van was reported to have been blown off the motorway, just south of Junction 62.

As conditions worsened, Durham Police last night closed the A1M between Junction 60, the Bradbury interchange, near Darlington, and Junction 63, at Chester-le-Street.

High-sided vehicles were stopped from using the Newton Cap viaduct, at Bishop Auckland, and the A66 between Scotch Corner and Cumbria.

A Durham Police spokesman said: "We have been dealing with multiple incidents of vehicles being blown over, but fortunately we have had no reports of serious injuries."

Later in the evening, Northumbria Police closed the A1 southbound from junctions 64 to 65, and also had to deal with part of the roof coming loose at the petrol station at Washington Services