Storm Barney: Winds of up to 70mph batter the West Midlands
High winds have been wreaking havoc across the West Midlands, with gusts felling trees, blowing over scaffolding and a huge tower at an outdoor shopping centre.
Storm Barney brought gusts of up to 70mph to the region last night.
Dramatic pictures were posted on Twitter showing the massive tower that had fallen onto the car park at the Fort Shopping Centre in Birmingham. No-one is believed to have been injured.
Scaffolding on a building being demolished in Saltwells Lane in Netherton near the Saltwells Nature Reserve was partially blown onto the road. The high winds left the metal scaffolding dangerously hanging off the building. The stretch of road was closed to all vehicles for safety reasons. The owner of the Saltwells Inn, Dean Pearson, said customers had to leave their cars at the pub and walk along the lane to catch taxis.
The 44-year-old, who has owned the pub for 25 years, said: "The building is about 400 metres away from the pub.
"When the scaffolding came down there were quite a few people in the pub. Because the lane is blocked, they've had to leave their cars and walk along the road and past the scaffolding to catch taxis home. I've had staff take them down with torches to light the way." Stacey Simpson, from Rowley Regis, was at he pub. She said: "We have had to leave our cars at the pub overnight."
Emergency services in the West Midlands tweeted throughout the night about incidents relating to the bad weather.
A lorry was blown over on the M5 between junctions 4 and 3. It caused delays on the motorway.
A tree fell in Albrighton on Elm Road and blocked the road between Church Road and Delaware Avenue and another tree was toppled over on the Stafford Road, in Fordhouses. And a fallen lamppost on the M6 northbound blocked three lanes between junction 6 and junction 7.
