A PLATFORM at York Station had to be closed again today due to fears for its roof, as the city suffered another battering from gale force winds and heavy rain

The stormy weather caused three road accidents and the station safety scare - all during rush hour.

Railtrack bosses closed platform nine just before 9am, after staff became concerned about the safety of the roof.

A spokeswoman said: "It was checked carefully and staff confirmed there was no risk. No one was evacuated, no services were delayed and the platform reopened at 9.17am."

But she said the hole in the roof which caused the station's evacuation last Friday had been "secured" and was not causing any problems.

An articulated lorry was blown over on the A19 at the junction of the A64 at Fulford. Commuters heading to work found their journeys disrupted when three road accidents occurred in half an hour. Two crashes took place on the A64 at Grimston Bar.

High winds blew a motorcyclist off his machine. He was taken to York District Hospital with minor injuries. Later, a van was blown into the central reservation on the trunk road's eastbound carriageway. No one was injured, but long tailbacks built up while the road was cleared and the crash barriers repaired. Earlier, a lorry was overturned by winds on the A1 near Boroughbridge. Again no one was hurt but traffic was delayed.

York was this afternoon getting back to normal, as PA weather forecasters confirmed that the heavy rain was now on the east coast and heading out to sea.

They said the 70mph winds had been replaced by wind speeds of between 20mph and 25mph.

The region's sporting programme was also disrupted, with the scheduled Bootham Crescent meeting between basement clubs York and Carlisle being called off as early as 8.45am.

Knaresborough referee Kevin Lynch judged the saturated pitch unplayable after heavy rain overnight and this morning.

Tomorrow's race meeting at Wetherby was also under threat from waterlogging, with an inspection due at 3pm.

But flood warnings remained in place for York's riverside paths and Naburn Lock.

Flood watches were also still in place for the Ouse and Derwent in the Vale of York, and the Derwent at Stamford Bridge.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "It is too early to say if they will be downgraded. The situation is being constantly monitored."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service also said there had been no more weather-related problems.

However, two properties were without power today after a fault occurred in an underground power cable in Easingwold.

One business and one home in Long Street were without power from 9pm last night. A spokeswoman for NEDL said the problem was not weather-related and that they expected to restore power by the end of the day.

Unconfirmed readings showed the Needles on the Isle of Wight was hit by gusts of 95mph overnight, with the highest official recording a gust of 84mph in the Mumbles, near Swansea, at about 4am, PA WeatherCentre said.

A 44-year-old man was taken to hospital in Cornwall with head injuries after being hit by a falling tree while cycling to work.

In Wales, Gwent Police said a roof blew off a prefab bungalow in Ringland, Newport. No one was injured. Dyfed-Powys Police said the town of Welshpool was practically cut off by floods and fallen trees.

Meanwhile, traffic ground to a halt on many major routes due to speed restrictions and fallen trees, police said.

The Queen Elizabeth II bridge at Dartford, Kent, and the Severn Bridge were both closed, AA Roadwatch said.

Both the north and southbound carriageways of the M6, at the Thelwall Viaduct, near Warrington, Cheshire, were closed for much of the morning by police due to gusting winds.

The M4's second Severn crossing was closed westbound for several hours overnight after an articulated lorry was blown over.

One lane later reopened but Gwent Police imposed a 30mph limit.

Updated: 15:04 Tuesday, February 26, 2002