A TREE has fallen on a railway line near Romsey as Storm Francis continues to batters Hampshire.

Network Rail revealed the tree came down on South Western Railway's (SWR) Test Valley track today, between Romsey and Redbridge. 

This meant trains were running at a "reduced speed" while the tree was on the line, according to a SWR spokesperson. 

They said: "Earlier this morning, due to a  precarious tree near the line between Redbridge and Romsey, trains were running at a reduced speed as a precautionary measure.

"Services are no longer affected by this problem.”

As reported, a yellow alert will be in force for Southampton and the surrounding areas until 9am tomorrow.

Winds up to 60mph are widely expected with potential for winds to reach up to 70mph on exposed coats and hills, according to the Met Office.

Residents are being warned of injuries and danger to life in the form of flying debris and large waves, damage to buildings, travel disruption and power cuts could potentially occur.

The Met Office said: “Storm Francis will bring some very strong winds leading to disruption to travel and power supplies along with potential damage to trees.”

A spokesperson said: “A spell of very strong winds is likely to develop across the southwest of England and Wales later on Tuesday morning, before spreading east across other parts of England and Wales during the afternoon and evening, clearing into the North Sea on Wednesday morning.

“Gusts are likely to reach 55-60 mph for quite a few places, with exposed coasts and hills seeing gusts of around 70 mph. Whilst not exceptional, winds this strong are unusual for August and they will be accompanied by some heavy rain in places, with possible transport disruption and impacts on outdoor activities.”

The warning comes after Storm Ellen brought strong winds and heavy rain to the county on Friday.

Network Rail has been contacted for comment.