Man killed by falling masonry as first autumn storm sweeps across Britain

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/06/man-killed-falling-masonry-bridlington-storm-britain

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A 61-year-old man has died after he was hit by falling masonry during windy conditions in Bridlington, east Yorkshire.

Humberside police were called just before 1pm on Monday after reports that falling masonry had hit a man and a vehicle.

A spokesman for the force said: “The ambulance service attended, but the man died as a result of his injuries and the coroner’s office has been informed.

“A cordon is expected to remain in place overnight, while further safety checks are undertaken and to ensure the public are kept safe.”

Heavy rain and strong winds across many parts of Britain have made it a miserable Monday as the first storm of the autumn swept across the country.

Forecasters have warned there was more bad weather on its way as an area of low pressure sat off Ireland, replacing the high that had brought unseasonal warm and dry conditions for much of September.

The Met Office had issued severe weather warnings for much of the western side of the country, and strong winds caused problems on the railways and for electricity suppliers.

A fallen tree at Lambrigg, Cumbria, brought down the overhead power line on the west coast mainline, and affected services thoughout the day.

Network Rail said the plan was to close the line later, following the tree fall at 6.30am, and that it was likely to remain shut into the early hours of Tuesday.

Another tree fell on the line between Oxford and Hereford, but that was cleared.

The strong winds, which reached 84mph overnight on South Uist in the Western Isles, damaged power lines in Northern Ireland and Cumbria.

Northern Ireland Electricity said about 6,000 customers lost power overnight.

About 2,000 homes in the Workington area of Cumbria were affected at around 8am, with most having supply restored within an hour.

Heavy rain was reported across the west, with 44.8mm falling in Camborne, Cornwall, and 43.8mm in Llanfrynach, Powys.

John Griffiths, a forecaster with the MeteoGroup, said: “There is a low just off Ireland which is going to stick around for the nest few days.”

The picture will remain unsettled, with bands of showery rain spreading from the west tomorrow and Wednesday.

“Once the showery rain passes through there will be a few spells of sunshine breaking through,” he said.

“It is windy and Scotland will get the worst of it tomorrow. In the Western Isles there will be some strong winds.

“But it is autumn and this is normal. We just got spoiled with the high.”