Storm Doris: Trees blown down and roads blocked as Shropshire and Mid Wales are battered by high winds

The storm proved to be more destructive than anticipated, with more than 70 trees reported down to Shropshire Council, and more than 4,000 homes left without power in the county.

Meteorologists said the storm had become a "weather bomb" after its central pressure dipped by more than 24 millibars in the 24 hours leading up to this morning.

With winds reportedly reaching 94mph, homes and businesses battened down the hatches with many popular visitor venues closing despite being in the middle of the half term holidays, and many Arriva Trains Wales services cancelled while London Midland advised rail users not to travel at all if possible.

In Wolverhampton a woman was killed when she was struck by falling debris on Dudley Street at about 11.40am.

Among the more serious incidents in Shropshire was a car that was hit by a falling tree as it travelled along the A49 from Church Stretton towards Shrewsbury.

Two elderly men had to be cut from the car and the main road between Shrewsbury and Church Stretton was closed from about 9.30am until about 2.30pm.

One of the men was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital's major trauma centre after receiving a cut to the neck and complaining of chest pain following the accident, while the other was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for assessment.

Three fire crews were called to free the occupants using hydraulic cutters.

Here's how we updated Star readers during the day:

Murray MacGregor, speaking for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "On arrival, ambulance staff found a red Ford Focus that had a large tree lying across the bonnet of the car and the rest of the road.

"The front seat passenger, a man in his 80s, had suffered a laceration to his neck and was complaining of chest pain.

"He was assessed by the doctor who took the decision to take him to the major trauma centre at Royal Stoke University Hospital – the doctor travelled with the crew.

"His wife, who was a rear seat passenger in the car, also travelled to the same hospital though she was uninjured.

"The driver, a 75 year old man, had neck pain and seatbelt pain in his chest. He was assessed before being taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital."

Paul Price, at the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service control room, said it was just one of the emergencies firefighters had had to deal with in what had been a hectic day. But they had not been able to deal with every call, he said.

He said: "We've had lots of calls about trees down but there's not much the fire service can do about it.

"We've had incidents the length and breadth the country, quite literally, from right down in the south to up in the north. They've actually been mostly to the east, east of Whitchurch, Ludlow and Bridgnorth, those kind of areas.

"People are calling us to secure things which is not really something we do unless its a danger to life, but we did go along to secure a dislodged roof tile in Old Street, Ludlow, because that was."

The fire service also sawed off a large shop sign in Bridgnorth's High Street that had become unstable in the winds and, more dramatically, had to secure the roof of a stable block that had blown off and come to rest on a nearby house in Peplow, near Hodnet.

Also in the north of the county, the wind blew over a high fence at the entrance to Ellesmere's Tesco Store and ripped off slates at the Sainsbury's store in Oswestry, though both remained open.

Emergency services also had to deal with a tree down on the A5 Oswestry bypass between the Mile End and the Whittington roundabouts and a van blew over on to its side on the A5/A483 Chirk bypass between the Gledrid and Halton roundabouts at about 2pm in which, luckily, no one was injured.

In Wellington police closed Tan Bank after a garden wall was destroyed leaving debris in the street and a tree in a precarious position and a house and a vehicle were also damaged when a tree came down in Haughton Lane, Shifnal. Again, no one was injured.

In Shrewsbury, Raven Meadows was completely closed to traffic between Roushill and the multi-storey car park with a diversion put in place, as loose tiles were falling from the roof of the Pride Hill shopping centre, police said.

In mid Wales both the A490 Welshpool to Guilsfield Road and the A456 Welshpool to Middletown road were blocked for a time with trees and powerlines down.

Power problems were a common theme all over the county with Western Power Distribution recording more than 40 incidents in the morning alone, with more than 4,000 homes without power in Shropshire because of damage caused by Storm Doris.

Areas hit by power cuts included a wide area around Craven Arms, to the north of Shrewsbury, and Muxton, near Telford.

Jake Douglas, director at the Salopian Brewery in Hadnall, near Shrewsbury, said they had lost a day of brewing after the power went out at 8am.

He said: "We could fill some casks and put them into cold storage because it doesn't need power to do that.

"We were supposed to be brewing Lemon Dream today, but we can't brew anything.

"Even if it comes back on again, the worry is that you start brewing and if the power goes again you've lost the entire brew.

"We're busy getting ready for a Wetherspoons beer festival, so it's not what we need."

Hawkstone Park also closed to visitors, as did the Severn Valley Railway's engine house in Highley, due to a power cut, but Blists Hill Victorian Town only closed the incline plane, canal and woodland areas.

Cae Glas Park in Oswestry was closed to the public after a tree came down and the British Ironwork Centre also closed its gates to the public because of the high winds. Chirk Castle staff decided on Wednesday the National Trust property would not be opening.

The storm also affected air traffic. The RAF Museum at Cosford closed, and the Cosford-based air ambulance was grounded. Over at RAF Shawbury, Squadron Leader Kim Leach said: "The helicopters remain in their hangars as the winds are out of limits for flight. We do not intend to fly today due to the stormy conditions."

Arriva Trains Wales cancelled services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham, Crewe and Mid Wales, reporting severe delays on other services.

A spokesman warned yesterday that there may be a knock on effect today due to damaged carriages.

He said: "A number of trains have sustained damage from hitting trees and other debris on the railway. As a result, trains across the entire Arriva Trains Wales network on Friday may run with fewer carriages than usual while these damaged trains are repaired."

According to Met Office forecasters, Storm Doris "rapidly deepened" early this morning undergoing "explosive cyclogenisis", making it a "weather bomb".

This process happens when dry air flows quickly into an area of low pressure. It creates a more vigorous storm, or weather bomb, as the air within the depression rises very rapidly, increases its rotation and intensifies the pressure.

Richard Leonard, head of road safety at Highways England, said: "We're expecting Storm Doris to have a significant impact on the roads throughout the day so are urging drivers to consider changing their plans if necessary and to slow down in stormy weather.

"Drivers should look out for warnings on the electronic message signs and listen for updates in radio travel bulletins."

Amber warnings predict strong winds and heavy rain in parts of north Wales, the Midlands, and the East and North West, while winds as fast as 60mph are also expected to batter southern England.

The Met Office's amber weather warning alerts people that "whilst the strongest winds look to be only short-lived, damage to structures, interruptions to power supplies and widespread disruption to travel networks are likely, with a danger of injury from flying debris".

Storm Doris was expected to move on quickly, with the worst of the weather gone by Thursday evening.

While further Atlantic gusts will bring more rain and wind through the weekend and into next week, they are not expected to reach the heights of Doris.

AA spokesman John Snowling said: "The unpleasant combination of torrential rain, severe gales and heavy snow will create some very poor driving conditions, with the potential for roads to be affected by black ice, debris or standing water.

"Wind can also bring down tree branches, blow you off course or blow other vehicles into your path.

"Expect travel disruption as some roads will be treacherous."

Anyone affected by power cuts during the storm is encouraged to dial 105 for further information.