Downpours as region prepares to be battered by 45 mph gales

Almost an inch - around 25 mm - had fallen by 8am with more heavy down pours forecast into the early afternoon.

The storm sweeping Britain has already claimed one life with a woman aged around 30 killed by a falling tree branch at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, south-west London.

It also triggered a string of crashes in the Black Country and South Staffordshire and led to several flood alerts from theEnvironment Agency.

A Vauxhall Corsa van was 'impaled' on railings after skidded on Enville Street, Stourbridge near the Katie Fitzgerald's pub at about 4.40am. The metal railings broke through the passenger window and badly damaged the front of the vehicle.

The 36-year-old male driver was taken to hospital with an injured arm but fire crews said he was lucky not to have been more badly hurt.

Watch Commander Robert Fullwood, of Stourbridge Fire Station, said: "The van was impaled on the railings. Things could have been a lot worse."

A trapped motorist was also rescued by firefighters after a three-car collision in heavy rain in Cannock. He was taken to hospital but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The accident occurred on Littleworth Road, at its junction with Rawnsley Road, in Hednesford, at 9.30pm last night. Four others escaped unhurt.

There were more rush hour problems for drivers on the A41 at Horsefair in Rugeley where traffic lights caused long tail backs after they failed at the St Pauls Road junction at around 7.30am.

The Environment Agency issued flood alerts for low lying land and roads between Tamworth and Water Orton as well as the River Rea between Longbridge and Nechells in Birmingham and Ford Brook at Bescot.

Met Office weatherman Greg Dewhurst forecast temperatures in the region could reach 13C(55F) today and fall to 8C(46F) tonight. He warned of increasingly strong wind during the afternoon with 45 mph gusts possible overnight. It will be drier this evening with more lighter rain expected tomorrow.

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