COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

The storm caused hundreds of trees in the West Midlands to fall on Saturday, including a giant cedar tree in Leamington Spa



A man was seriously injured when he was struck by a giant Victorian era tree brought down during Storm Darragh, the BBC understands.

He was struck as he walked with a woman and a child in a pram, who both narrowly avoided injury as the cedar tree was uprooted in Leamington Spa on Saturday.

It comes after the death of a driver whose car was hit by another falling tree, also on Saturday in Birmingham, as 60mph (97kmh) winds battered the West Midlands.

The clear-up is getting under way after the storm led to blocked roads, trains to be diverted or cancelled, and homes flooded.

Disruption caused by the storm has continued on Sunday, with some roads still blocked by fallen trees and train services cancelled or delayed.

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said it had received "an extraordinary 723 weather-related calls" and attended 122 incidents, ranging from traffic collisions to falling trees, between 06:00 GMT on Saturday and 10:00 on Sunday.

Poundland said a passer-by was hit when winds broke a window in its store in Kings Heath, Birmingham

'Amazing that we were out when car port collapsed'



A woman has described how her car port was reduced to "just rubble" and other parts of her home damaged during Storm Darragh.

Debbie Cooper, from Eastern Green, Coventry, told BBC CWR she felt thankful no-one was at home when bricks fell from an adjacent property during strong winds on Saturday evening.

"It was amazing really that we weren't in the property when it happened, we had popped to my daughter's for an hour," she said.

Ms Cooper said she was shocked to find the damage after returning from visiting her daughter and grandchildren.

"We went out and we came back to see that the car port had just collapsed on the driveway and it's been horrendous."

She said the damaged building was assessed as safe by the council and fire service on Saturday but she believed its condition had since worsened.

She is now scared to use her kitchen in case the roof collapses.

"The bricks are on the roof to the extension of the kitchen and that is about to give way," she said.

Ms Cooper, who has contacted her insurers, said the car port's roof was repaired only a week ago.

Despite being upset, she was relieved no-one was hurt.

"We could have been so easily caught underneath it," Ms Cooper said.

She added some of the car port's weight was resting on scaffolding put up because their home was having a new roof built.

"If it hadn't have been there I think it would have crashed into the house and we wouldn't have been able to get in and out of the front door," she said.

Funds for Storm Darragh tree fall victim hit £17k



More than £17,000 has been raised to help support a man who remains in a critical condition after being struck by a falling tree during Storm Darragh.

The man, named as Dan in the online fundraiser, was trapped when a large cedar tree fell on him in Portland Place West in Leamington Spa, on 7 December.

He was cut free before being taken to hospital, where he remains unconscious and on life support, the GoFundMe page states.

A woman and baby, identified on the page as Dan's partner Lou and their daughter, were also trapped when the tree fell, but escaped with minor injuries, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

The fundraising page says Dan will likely have a "very long road to recovery".

"We are all desperate for good news, but preparing for the worst," it adds.

Dan is described on the page as a self-employed chairmaker and the main breadwinner for his family, and its organisers say all donations will go towards supporting the family.

"Any donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference," the page says.