A second victim has been claimed by Storm Darragh after a man was killed by a falling tree landing on his car.
Thousands of homes have been left without power as Storm Darragh continues to pummel the UK, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
West Midlands Police responded to a call at Silver Birch Road, Erdington, around 3 pm today. The call reported a car being hit by a fallen tree due to stormy weather conditions.
Sgt Benjamin Parsons, of our Roads Policing Unit, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed.
The authorities mentioned that the incident would be referred to the coroner and urged anyone with information or footage from dashcams or mobile phones to come forward.
In a separate incident, a tree obstructed the Gatwick Express line, prompting National Rail to advise passengers against traveling between London St Pancras and Luton until the situation improves.
Earlier this morning a man in his 40s died after a tree fell on his van in Lancashire, while gusts reached 96mph in Devon and a major incident was declared over much of Wales.
More than 175,000 houses have lost their electricity connection as roofs were ripped up and trees were brought down across Britain following the Government’s ‘risk-to-life’ alert, which came into force at 1am on Saturday for those covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for high winds.
A man has died after his car was hit by a falling tree during strong Storm Darragh
The crash occurred on Sutton Road in the Erdington area of Birmingham on Saturday afternoon
Residents of the worst-hit areas in Northern Ireland as well as the western coasts of Wales and England have been urged to stay indoors amid fears that flying debris and falling trees could lead to fatalities.
Darragh also wreaked havoc with traffic as the Prince of Wales Bridge over the River Severn and the nearby Severn Bridge is closed, while a number of rail services and flights have been disrupted due to strong winds.
Sports events across the UK and Ireland were thrown into disarray, including a Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton which was axed over safety fears.
In Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, a large tree was uprooted and blown on to houses, while just along the coast at Weston-super-Mare huge waves crashed against the sea defences, threatening sightseers.
At Birmingham Airport, pilots struggled to land and take off in 60mph crosswinds, and Cardiff Airport was forced to close its runway for most of the morning. Several British Airways flights to and from Heathrow, Paris, the United States and the Netherlands were also cancelled.
Meanwhile, tourist attraction Llandudno Pier in North Wales was battered by winds of 93mph, which destroyed parts of the historic structure.
Paul Williams, general manager of the pier, said it may cost £250,000 to repair the damage, adding: ‘Overnight, one of the kiosks, one of the original ones, which is roughly 148 years old, was ripped up.
‘It’s the first time in its history that it has been tipped to one side.
‘The ice cream stand at the end of the pier has been ripped up and it went into the sea, and there are about 1,000 pieces washed up on the other side of the bay. The roof has come off the toilet and there’s real fear that we’ll potentially lose the bar and cafe down the end as well.
‘We may have to look at the pier not reopening for a considerable amount of time.’
The Energy Networks Association said yesterday that 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power, but that around 768,000 customers had been reconnected since the storm hit, with more than 1,000 engineers deployed.
And a Lancashire Police investigation is under way after the force was called at around 9am yesterday to the A59 at Longton, near Preston, where a man had died. The victim, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen van when a tree fell on his vehicle.
Millions of Britons were sent emergency alerts to their mobile phones in what was the largest use of the warning system yet, urging residents to avoid driving and to ‘stay indoors if you can’.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described the storm as a ‘challenging situation’, adding: ‘About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice.’ Last night there were 27 flood warnings and 145 flood alerts in place, with the Environment Agency warning people not to drive through flood water and to avoid from swollen rivers and coastal paths.
It added: ‘Heavy rain may cause flash flooding. It’s important you know how to prepare.’
The Met Office’s red weather warning for wind – the most serious – led to the cancellation of events yesterday, including Christmas attractions, and the closure of all royal parks.
A yellow weather warning for strong winds across England and Wales will be in place until 6pm tonight.
The road in Erdington where a second man has died remains closed at this time and drivers are urged to avoid the area.
Anyone with information should contact us via Live Chat on our website, or by calling 101, quoting log 2695 of 7 December.
