Storm Mathis: Homes left without power after Met Office warning as …

A couple walk their dogs along the beach during strong winds in Folkestone, Kent. (PA Images via Getty Images)

Hundreds of homes were left without power by Storm Mathis on Friday, as 93mph winds battered the south of the country.

Up to 700 properties in Cornwall were left with no electricity for a period on Friday morning, with homes in Bude, St Ives, Redruth and Hayle all affected by power cuts.

The Met Office^[1] said wind speeds from the storm had reached speeds of almost 80mph between Thursday and Friday.

And voluntary organisation the National Coastwatch Institution said it had recorded a wind speed of 93mph at Gwennap Head, near Penzance, Cornwall.

The storm brought travel chaos, with Sandbanks chain ferry from Poole to Studland in Dorset suspended^[2] on Friday morning because of the windy weather, and fallen trees blocking roads.

Porthleven in Cornwall was battered by strong winds on Friday. (Alamy)

There were also long queues of HGV lorries into the Port of Dover on Friday morning as winds affected ferry services.

Lorries queue for the Port of Dover along the A20 in Kent as strong winds effect ferry services. (PA Images via Getty Images)

The P&O Pride of Kent ferry is hit by waves as it arrives at the Port of Dover on Friday. (PA Images via Getty Images)

The Met Office said the highest wind speed from Storm Mathis was recorded at 8am on Friday at The Needles on the Isle of Wight, and was 79mph.

It issued a wind warning for the south of England in place until midday on Friday, but said conditions will ease for the rest of the afternoon into the weekend.

A Met Office yellow warning for rain, covering large parts of Devon and Cornwall, is in place until 6pm on Friday.