One person was killed by falling debris on Thursday as Storm Doris slammed into the British Isles, also causing flight disruptions at Europe's busiest air hub and train cancellations.

A woman suffered a fatal head injury from a piece of debris blowing down onto the street in Wolverhampton, central England.

Storm Doris was heading eastwards from the Atlantic Ocean across the British Isles, and was expected to clear the east coast around sunset.

The gales caused around 10 percent of flights to be scrapped at London Heathrow Airport.

In Britain, the top wind speed of 94 miles (151 kilometres) per hour was recorded at Capel Curig near Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales.

In Ireland, wind speeds of 87 mph (140 kph) were recorded at Mace Head in County Galway on the Atlantic west coast.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said several paramedics were sent to the fatal incident in Wolverhampton.

‘On arrival, crews found a woman who had suffered very serious head injuries,’ a spokesman said.

‘Sadly, it quickly became apparent that there was nothing that could be done to save her and she was confirmed dead at the scene.’

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: ‘The incident is believed to be related to Storm Doris.’

Rebecca Davis, a 40-year-old teacher who saw the victim receiving emergency treatment, said the debris ‘was a big piece about the size of a coffee table’.

The storm caused travel disruption.

A Heathrow spokesman said: ‘Strong winds and poor weather across the UK have resulted in approximately a 10 percent reduction to Heathrow's flight schedule.’

Speed limits of 50 mph (80 kph) were imposed on several train lines in Britain, while many trains were cancelled, including services linking London with Manchester and Liverpool.

The Port of Liverpool in northwest England was closed due to the winds, while some ferry services to Scotland's west coast islands were disrupted.

Some roads were shut due to strong winds and snow.

The Republic of Ireland's state Electricity Supply Board said some 37,000 customers were without power due to around 1,000 separate faults, with high winds and falling timber damaging electricity lines.

In neighbouring Northern Ireland, NIE Networks said they had restored electricity to around 14,000 customers, with some 2,700 still affected.

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