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Man killed by falling tree as UK buffeted by heavy winds Man killed by falling tree as UK buffeted by high winds
(about 3 hours later)
A man has died in Hampshire after a tree fell on his car during heavy winds and rain that hit parts of the UK. A man has died after a tree fell on his car as high winds and heavy rain battered Britain.
Emergency services were called to the scene of the accident in Odiham, Hampshire, at 7.17am on Tuesday. A Hampshire police spokesman said: “Officers received a report of a tree having fallen on a car on the A287 between Rye Common and Ewshot … The driver of the car died at the scene.” Hampshire police said the victim was a 48-year-old from Crondall, and the incident happened on the A287 near the village shortly before 7.20am on Tuesday. Insp Simon Hills said: “Part of the investigation will be to determine if the weather was a contributing factor.”
Insp Simon Hills said the force was investigating if the weather was a contributing factor. Parts of the UK were hit by 50mph winds and more than two inches of rain on Tuesday. The Met Office said a yellow warning for high winds was in place for the whole of England and Wales except the north-east on Tuesday, and a separate rain warning for north and east Scotland would be in place until noon on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, at the Duke of Devonshire’s estate in Derbyshire, the Chatsworth flower show was closed early because of heavy wind and rain. The Royal Horticultural Society said it planned to reopen the sellout show on Wednesday, when the public get their first chance to visit. The weather caused rail delays, and tree branches fell on a car and bus near Waterloo station in central London.
Earlier, TV presenters Alan Titchmarsh and Mary Berry were among the first to see the newest addition to the RHS calendar, although the 90,000 expected visitors face mixed weather conditions over the week. The former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg arrived an hour late for an election campaign event in Sheffield after the train he was on hit a fallen tree at high speed while leaving Derby.
As the show was closed, a statement from the RHS said: “Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, we’ve had to close the RHS Chatsworth flower show today. We plan to open the show tomorrow and will be monitoring weather conditions closely.” He said: “As the train was speeding out of Derby there was quite a sort of shuddering impact because the train hit what I assume was quite a large tree across the track. So the train was stopped until the tree was removed and disgorged from between the wheels of the front carriage and then we moved on, so all was well and nobody was hurt.”
The RHS urged people to check its website for further information. Earlier, a minute’s silence was observed onsite to commemorate the victims of the London Bridge attack on Saturday night. The preview day of the Chatsworth flower show in the Peak District closed early. The Royal Horticultural Society said it intended to open the sellout show as planned on Wednesday, when the public will get their first chance to visit.
The Met Office said gusts of up to 60mph were possible in coastal and hilly areas. It added: “Expect some localised transport disruption, with some trees perhaps uprooted. Large waves and spray will affect some coasts.”
The meteorologist Emma Sharples said: “There will be less gusty winds on Wednesday, but Thursday and Saturday will bring unsettled weather. So far, 61.6mm [2.5in] has fallen in areas of high ground, in particular Cumbria and Snowdonia.”