A man has died as ferocious winds from Storm Darragh batter the UK after a tree crashed onto his van while he was driving in Lancashire, with police now launching an investigation
A man has died after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire as ferocious winds from Storm Darragh batter the UK.
The victim, in his 40s, was driving along the A59 at Longton in Lancashire when the tree crashed onto his van. Police were called at around 9am today after the tree fell on the Citroen van on the dual carriageway.
The man was found with serious injuries and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have launched an investigation and his next of kin have been informed, who are currently being supported by specially trained officers.
Detective Sergeant Matt Davidson, of Lancashire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Very sadly this incident has resulted in the death of a man and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.”
The full statement from the police read: “An investigation is underway after a man died when a tree fell onto his van during Storm Darragh. Emergency services were called at around 9am today (Saturday, December 7th) after the incident which happened on the A59 at Longton near to Lancashire Police Headquarters.
“The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen van on the dual carriageway when the tree fell on to his vehicle causing serious injuries. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by a specially trained officer.”
It comes as gusts of 93mph have been recorded in parts of the UK from Storm Darragh. Millions of people have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power, and trains have been cancelled as the Government’s “risk to life” alert came into force.
The emergency alert came into effect at 1am on Saturday and was sent to people within the area covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England. It was the largest use of the warning system yet, with the alert urging residents to avoid driving and to “stay indoors if you can”.
Speaking to Sky News, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described the storm as a “challenging situation”. He added: “About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice.”
He added: “Where you can, stay inside, don’t put yourself at risk, and just follow the advice at all times.” The Cabinet Office’s emergency alert system sent a message to every compatible mobile phone in the impacted areas, containing information about the red warning and guidance on how to stay safe.
Mobile phones made a loud siren-like sound even if they were set on silent, with the sound and vibration lasting for about 10 seconds, although some people claimed they did not receive it. The Met Office confirmed that wind gusts of up to 93mph were recorded overnight in Capel Curig in North Wales, with 92mph in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula.
Winds in other parts of Wales topped 80mph, while gusts of up to 77mph were recorded in Northern Ireland and south-west England, the forecaster said. Tom Morgan of the Met Office said that as of 7am the storm was at its peak, but higher wind speed totals are “possible” later in the morning.
The centre of the storm, meaning winds are calmer, was across north-east England. Thousands of people in Northern Ireland, England and Wales were left without power. The Energy Networks Association said around 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power this morning.
A spokesperson said around 385,000 customers were reconnected overnight, with more than 1,000 engineers ready to be deployed. National Grid said that as of 8am more than 55,000 customers were off supply across the South West, south Wales and the west Midlands due to Storm Darragh.
