FLOODING caused widespread motoring chaos as wind blowing at speeds of up to 120kmh and giant waves lashed the country the Independent has reported.

Issuing a storm alert, Met Eireann said that southerly winds would gust to between 90 and 120kmh and there would be widespread rain this morning, accompanied by strong and gusty southerly winds.

A piece of roof flashing on the Aviva Stadium that came loose during strong winds led to the closure of Lansdowne Road for up to an hour yesterday as a precautionary measure. Crews were able to secure the flashing without further incident and the road re-opened a short time later.

High winds caused a tree to topple on to the roof of an office in Dublin. Drivers were coping with debris being blown on to roads in the Dublin area, as strong winds also caused a tree to fall on to a white modern office that houses an firm of architects in the Abbeyfield area of Killester, north Dublin.

The tree appeared to land against the flat roofed part of the house in the gale force winds but didn’t appear to crush through the roof cladding to cause extensive damage. There was no answer at the house, where the lights remained off and there were no reports of any injuries.