prepare for Hector and Maeve: Freak 'storm factory' could batter Britain with another ELEVEN storms with 120mph winds and SNOW

Storm Brian lashed Britain yesterday with gusts of up to 80mph (main picture: in Porthcawl, on the south coast of Wales), causing travel misery for many families starting their half-term holidays. However the worst is yet to come, as Britain is set to battered by another 11 named storms this autumn and winter. Weathermen are forecasting wind gusts pushing 120mph and repeated travel mayhem plus floods as the country is hit by twice as many storms as last year. Meteorologists attribute this succession of tempests to a 'storm factory' brewing in the central Atlantic. However, over the next three days (inset, graphic) the strong winds will ease and rain will gradually clear, with the weather becoming increasingly dry and sunny.