Trees toppled by fierce winds across the West Midlands

A driver on a tram train through the Black Country was hailed a hero today after bringing the vehicle to a halt and moving a fallen tree himself.

Motorists faced delays during rush hour as gusts of up to 50mph wreaked havoc.

Phil Tonks, aged 42, was driving the Stourbridge Shuttle service between the Junction and Town stations when he saw a 30ft tall tree had fallen and was blocking the track ahead.

Mr Tonks said: "We stopped in good time and a colleague and I were able to lift the tree off the track because it had smashed into pieces when it landed, so wasn't that heavy."

Brandon Way in West Bromwich was blocked by a tree which toppled over this morning. Piles of branches were also strewn across the carriageway in Springhill Lane near The Greyhound pub in Lower Penn, causing delays for rush hour drivers.

A tree also fell across Broadhurst Green Road off the A34 in Huntington, blocking one lane, and another tree blocked the A449 at Dunston near Penkridge at about 4pm yesterday.

Trains were suspended for about two hours between Wylde Green and Lichfield Trent Valley last night after a tree crashed on to the line.

Meanwhile, a Bilston family had a lucky escape when a 30ft tree crashed into their garden during strong winds, narrowly missing their home.

The conifer was torn from the ground by a huge gust and landed on a pile of paving slabs behind the house in Garden Walk.

Minutes earlier, Margaret Owen had been hanging out washing with their three-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Marley.

The tree, which was among a row of eight lining the boundary between two properties, destroyed a fence and was left hanging near the back door.

It comes after days of heavy snowfall brought the region's roads to a standstill.

However, forecasters say milder weather is on its way, with sunny spells expected over the weekend.

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