Storm causes power outages and traffic disruptions in France and Britain

PARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) Storm Austen cut power to nearly 300,000 French homes and disrupted train and plane services with heavy winds and rain on ​Friday, while also knocking out electricity for some ‌12,000 homes in Britain. A low-pressure front brought 111 mph (179 kph) winds and rains across Europe overnight with towns facing power outages as trees and debris littered roads, causing traffic issues, airport and train ‌delays ​and reduced access to bridges. Utility Enedis ⁠said in a situation ⁠update on Friday that nearly 300,000 clients had no electricity from the storm, with most of disruptions located in Brittany on the western coast and Normandy in ​the north. Britain s National Grid said engineers had to restore power to more than 12,000 homes. Major disruptions were ⁠expected on the Paris commuter rail ⁠services, while all rail traffic was suspended ​in Normandy, French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said in a ​post on X. Disruptions were also underway at airports, with ‌