Fierce gales lead to misery and mayhem across West Midlands

Strong gusts caused further misery as more wet and windy weather wreaked a fresh wave of havoc.

Flood warnings were put in place across the country and gale force winds of more than 100mph were recorded, while thousands of homes were left without power.

In the West Midlands, strong winds also caused trees to come crashing down, blocking roads and causing traffic disruption.

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A fallen tree blocked the route on the busy A451 from Kidderminster to Stourport.

Both sides of the road were blocked near to the former sugar beet factory in Kidderminster at around 11.25am yesterday.

Nobody was injured in the tree fall but it sparked some congestion as drivers were forced to turn around and find a different route.

The road reopened at around 2.30pm after the tree was removed.

A tree also crashed down in Stourton, near Stourbridge, in the high winds.

The fir tree blocked Bridgnorth Road at about 8.20am today.

Lorry driver Paul Jones, who was carrying a truck load of 100 sheep, stopped to help other motorists to clear part of the Bridgnorth-bound side of the road.

He and other vehicles caught up behind them had to mount the kerb to avoid hitting the branches.

Mr Jones, aged 44, of Old Lodge, said: "It's a huge tree and was already down when I arrived.

"I got out to help some other chaps move some of the branches."

Another motorist called police to notify them of the blockage, as well as turning around vehicles travelling from the Stourbridge direction.

There were also reports that a tree had blown down in Penkridge next to the A449, and a large tree uprooted in Wolverhampton's Bantock Park.

Part of the roof of High Arcal School in Dudley was missing, with tarpaulin in place. It is not clear if this was caused by the bad weather. Nobody at the school was available to comment.

Shropshire was also hit by the bad weather.

Alan Rutter's shed had stood firm at his home in Wellington, Telford, for 30 years but just took a matter of minutes to blow away.

The 72-year-old was forced to try and save his belongings from the rain after high speed winds blew his roof into neighbouring fields.

Flood defences were put in place in Shrewsbury and Oswestry.

Elsewhere, Central London was unusually quiet yesterday as train disruption spoiled travel plans for thousands of people.

Almost all trains to and from Victoria Station were cancelled and there were 80 minute delays at Paddington Station.

Planes were also affected by delays, while some were again pictured struggling to land due to strong crosswinds.

David Cameron was in Kent yesterday to visit families affected by flooding as they tried to get back on track.

And in Cumbria, a waterfall was pictured flowing uphill because winds were so strong. It is the second bout of bad weather in a week as the country endured a wet and windy Christmas break.