Two women seriously hurt after tree falls on ‘outdoor party’ as winds of almost 70mph batter UK
Two women have been seriously injured after being struck by a falling oak tree as Storm Evert continues to batter the South East of England.
The pair, aged in their 20s, were said to have been attending a “private outdoor party” near Heveningham in Suffolk when the incident occurred.
It comes as yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms remain in place, stretching from East Anglia to the North Yorkshire coast, and inland as far as Nottingham.
The Severn Bridge under the darkened skies of Evert
Winds of almost 70mph have lashed the UK during Storm Evert, which moved in from the west on Thursday evening.
While Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly saw the worst of the weather, gusts and rain spread over much of southern England.
Suffolk Police were called to the incident involving the two women at about 6.35pm on Friday evening, alongside firefighters, ambulance crews and the air ambulance.
It is understood the pair were in attendance with others at the party.
One of the women received head and spinal injuries, while the other had an injured arm and pelvis.
Both were taken to hospital.
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Today’s weather forecast
More rain is expected across central, eastern and southern England on Saturday.
The highest wind of the storm so far was recorded on the island of St Mary’s in the Scilly Isles, at 69mph.
The area’s coastguard spent the night helping rescue people from boats and yachts around the Scilly Isles.
Falmouth Coastguard Operations centre reported 22 incidents on Thursday night.
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Campers also felt the full force of the winds with some saying they had been “caught out” by the late issuing of the amber weather warning for the storm.
Deputy head teacher Mark Morgan-Hillam, 48, his wife Leanne, 43, and three children, were camping in Cornwall during the storm.
Mark Morgan-Hillam’s tent was battered by the storm
Mr Morgan-Hillam, from Wigan, said: “The lack of warning was an issue.
“It was only at 9/10pm at night that we noticed the storm warning had changed to amber and I think that caught a lot of people out on our site who went to bed thinking it would be windy, but not blow their tent over.”
A man’s body has been recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire, police have said, as major incidents have been declared in two counties.
The body was found near Intake Lane in Beal, close to Eggborough and Knottingley.
Police believe the man may have entered the water in the last 24 to 48 hours.
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North Yorkshire Police said: “Despite extensive enquiries, including with our colleagues in Humberside and West Yorkshire Police, we have been unable to identify him.
“He was found without any identification or personal belongings.”
The man was also described as white, in his early 50s to 60s, with light brown short hair and stubble.
He was wearing brown walking boots, blue denim jeans, a multicoloured knitted jumper and possibly a dark green waterproof coat, police added.
It comes after Leicestershire and Lincolnshire both declared a major incident in response to the extreme weather hitting the UK and Ireland.
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Leicestershire Fire and Rescue was the first emergency service in England to declare an incident and said it had received more than 200 calls since Monday morning over widespread flooding.
Crews had found cars stuck in floodwater and evacuated residents from flooded homes and rising waters, with some 17 people rescued as of 1.45pm.
The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum declared a major incident shortly after, and noted that emergency services had rescued children who were stranded at a school in Edenham.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has three yellow weather warnings – each for snow and ice – in effect throughout Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Pic: Met Office
A warning covering the west and north coast of Scotland – reaching into Inverness and Aberdeen – will last until midday, while an alert in effect for all of Northern Ireland will last until 11am.
The Met Office has also issued a warning covering Wales and parts of northwest England on Monday evening, moving into southwest England, the Midlands and parts of southern England in the early hours of Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a yellow weather warning for snow is in effect across the south of England – stretching from just above Truro in Cornwall to Canterbury in Kent – from 9am to midnight.
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