Storms hit the UK

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BritBob
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Storms hit the UK

#1 Postby BritBob » Sat Mar 20, 2004 3:02 pm

Some pretty awful weather has been affecting a wide area of the United Kingdom these last two days.

Severe gales have caused widespread damage, travel chaos and sadly a loss of life.

Widspread gusts of 70mph have been reported, and some upto 80mph. Unconfirmed reports go 90mph+.

This from the BBC site.
A football fan was killed by flying debris as severe gale-force winds caused damage across England.
The 40-year-old Everton fan was hit outside Leicester City's ground before the sides played on Saturday afternoon.

Several other sporting fixtures were abandoned over safety fears, as winds of more than 80 mph swept across the Midlands and North.

The high winds also brought down power lines and blew over vehicles, causing widespread problems for travellers.

Emergency services in some areas said they were overwhelmed with calls.

In the Midlands two lorries toppled over on the M6 north between junctions 12 and 13 causing five-mile tailbacks

A number of flights attempting to land at Birmingham International Airport were diverted, and the Skyrail train service to the airport was closed.

West Midlands Fire Service received more than 400 calls during Saturday afternoon.

Woman and daughter injured

Staffordshire police urged people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

Officers there and members of public helped rescue a mother and her 12-year-old daughter who were trapped under a fallen wall in Lichfield shopping centre.

A tree was blown over on to the wall, which then collapsed onto the car as they were sitting inside.

The 33-year-old and her daughter sustained broken legs and are in hospital.

Man blown into road

Only three train services are currently running in and out of Birmingham New Station after power cables, lampposts and trees fell onto the tracks.

"Currently, very little is running," said a spokesman. "Getting to the North West is fine but anywhere else is a problem.

"We have had numerous problems - wires, lampposts falling onto lines. Its all due to the weather."


The roof of a building blew off in Birmingham
Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service said a 54-year-old man had been taken to Hereford County Hospital after being 'flipped' upside down into the road while trying to remove stray debris.

Two people are still being cut free from a vehicle in Lea End Lane, in Hopwood, Worcestershire, after a tree fell on their car.

Power cuts

Another person was taken to hospital after being rescued from a car near Kidderminster.

"The wind is so strong we are also unable to use our helicopter at the moment," said a West Mercia police spokesman on Saturday afternoon.

The winds brought down electricity lines causing major power cuts.

The power firm Aquila said 20,000 homes lost electricity in the West Midlands, and many people would not get it back until Monday because of the scale of the damage.

About 20,000 homes were also without power in the East Midlands.

Train travel was also hit in the East Midlands when part of Nottingham railway station roof was blown off.

In East Yorkshire, the Humber Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.

Three people were taken to hospital in Liverpool after being hit by a sign blown off a market stall.

Racing abandoned

In Northampton, the Cobblers' football match at Sixfields was halted when advertising hoardings were torn loose by high winds and threatened spectators' safety.

Stoke City's match against West Bromwich Albion and Burnley's game against Wimbledon were among fixtures called off.

Burnley FC's chief executive Dave Edmundson said: "The gusting winds were 70 to 85mph in the upper tier of the James Hargreaves and Jimmy McIlroy Stand and a 16-stone person had been up there and almost blown off their feet."

Racing at Uttoxeter was also abandoned because of the wind, which lifted a marquee off the ground.

The Met Office in Birmingham said the winds should ease overnight.
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