Woman killed as ‘tree falls on car’ in high winds

A woman in her 60s has died after a tree is believed to have fallen on her car in Dorset.

The driver, who has not been named but is known to be a local, was pronounced dead at the scene following the incident in Verwood Road, Wimborne, shortly after 8.40am on Saturday.

It came as high winds buffeted the area, with gusts of more than 80mph in parts of the South West.

Police said it is understood a tree had fallen on the grey Ford B-Max, and officers appealed for anyone who saw what happened to get in touch.

Sergeant Lee Savage said: "To assist with my investigation I am appealing to anyone who was travelling in the area at the relevant time, and either witnessed the collision or captured any of the incident on dash-cam, to please contact Dorset Police."

The Met Office issued a number of rain and wind warnings across the south of England and Wales on Saturday, while a band of rain moved across northern Scotland.

South Western Railways said a number of trees blocked the line between Woking and Weymouth on Saturday morning and it warned services could be delayed or cancelled.

Dorset Police posted a photograph on social media showing scaffolding which had collapsed on to a line of parked cars due to the strong gusts.

The structure was blown over in Dorset Street, Blandford Forum, during the early hours of Saturday.

Later in the day, ferry services between Dover and Calais were suspended due to the weather.

P&O said Dover Harbour was closed while DFDS said ships were unable to proceed into the port because of high winds.

The Met Office said gusts of 83mph were recorded in Plymouth and 82mph in Culdrose, Cornwall.

The strongest gust of wind recorded on Saturday was 109mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight.

Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said inland winds of 40mph to 55mph had been reported, with some areas seeing gusts of up to 60mph.

Heavy rainfall was seen widely across Wales and south-west England, with Cardinham in Cornwall recording 40mm in 24 hours.

The Met Office advised those attending or organising bonfire events on Saturday night to take care.

It added people should be mindful of the strength of the wind before setting off fireworks.

Lewisham Council, which organises the display at Blackheath, south-east London, said the event would be affected unless the weather improves.

"Obviously we will continue to monitor the weather conditions," a spokesman said.

"The safety of the public is always our number one priority."

A firework event at Alexandra Palace in north London has opened as organisers said they plan to go ahead despite the weather warnings.