Storm Darragh: Second day of storm brings flooding and damage to ancient trees to the Midlands

The Midlands have been battered by Storm Darragh across the weekend, with many towns and cities affected by road blockages and flooding.

A man died in Erdington, Birmingham on Saturday 7 December, after a tree fell on his car on Silver Birch Road.

Parts of Hereford are under water as flood warnings remain in place in the city.

Lydia Williams, who lives in Hereford, had to be taken back home from the shops by boat on Sunday after her street became flooded.

Lydia said: "We've prepped the house for the extreme worse case and hopefully it won't get that far."

She was rescued by Colin Taylor, a local volunteer flood warden, who said the river levels were rising by four inches every hour.

He added: "We've got a lot of people who won't move. They prefer to stay inside and look after their houses.

"Our role is to make sure everybody is safe. If they want to leave their houses we can use a flood boat to get into town."

In Sandwell, the community in Bearwood is feeling the loss of an iconic tree that once stood in the centre of Warley Woods.

The Warley Woods Community Trust is raising money for the clean up operation, which they had not budgeted for.

They said: "Our staff will begin the clear up on Monday but the extent and size of some of the fallen limbs means we will need to bring in outside help.

"We had just completed the first phase of our safety works this year, completing everything that was due and that was at a cost of £14,000.

"This will cost us thousands for sure."

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