Two dead as storms lash northern Europe Wind this morning was measured gusting at 95 miles an hour at a weather station on the Wadden Sea island of Vlieland, setting the national record in the worst Dutch storm since 1990. A plane struggles to keep its course as it lands on the runway of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (EPA) A DFDS ferry from Newcastle carrying 1,080 people was forced to seek the sanctuary of the open sea fater the gales prevented it from docking in the narrow harbour of Ijmuiden. The ferry is expected to dock later this afternoon as winds die down. Meanwhile, in northwest France, around 75,000 households were left without power after a fierce storm battered the region. Eurostar trains were disrupted as a result of the storm and two ferries were left stranded in the English Channel. P&O ferries redirected passengers stuck in Calais to the Channel Tunnel. The ferries Pride of Canterbury and Spirit of France, carrying more than 450 passengers in all, were stuck in stormy seas off Dover after the British port shut down with authorities considering their entry into the Kent port too dangerous. However, after several hours at sea, they were given the green light to continue their journey late morning as seas around the port calmed. Ferry services resumed by midday. Meanwhile fierce winds of up to 140 kmh and torrential rain hit Normandy and Brittany in the early hours of Monday, leaving around 75, 000 homes without power. The Finistere region in the west of Brittany was the worst affected area where up to 30,000 were hit by power cuts. There were a similar number affected in Basse Normandie and another 10,000 households were left in the dark in Haute-Normandie and Nord Pas-de-Calais by the storm, dubbed Christian. By midday, some 42,000 homes were still without power, but Meteo France, the national forecaster, had ended its "vigilance orange" storm alert in 12 departments. The strong winds in the Paris region forced authorities to close Château de Versailles. The famous tourist attraction may reopen later in the day, however. In Belgium, early morning Eurostar services to London were cancelled before the service was resumed with delays due to low train speeds. There was train and road chaos in Belgium due to fallen trees. A huge banner on the wall of the European Commission advertising the EU's "year of the citizen" in Brussels was ripped to shreds in the gales.