Road closes after large tree falls on car

A large tree has fallen onto a car and blocked part of a main road after Storm Bert hit the East of England.

An eyewitness said she saw it had come down on the A6 in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire, at about 10:20 GMT.

Bedford Borough Council said the road remained closed between Radwell Road and New Road.

Ashton Lamb, from the village, said it landed on a vehicle leaving the driver "shock up" and she was worried the strong winds might cause other trees to fall in the area. Fire crews arrived to cut the tree up , she added.

Cara Sigsworth, who was being driven along the A6 saw the tree ahead and said it was "covering the entire road" by the Queen's Head Inn.

"It came down onto a car, but I don't think anyone was hurt," she told the BBC.

She said they were able to take another road out of the area.

It came as the council said it was dealing with a number of fallen trees across the area, including one on Perkins Road, Bedford, which had closed the road.

It added it was waiting for an out-of-hours contractor to remove it.

Trees had also fallen down at Swineshead Road between Riseley and Swineshead, Felmersham Road and North End, Bletsoe.

It asked motorists to avoid the areas and to "take extra care".

National Rail said that "multiple fallen trees damaging electrical overhead wires" between Broxbourne and Audley End in Essex, has caused services on the Greater Anglia and Stansted Express line to be delayed, cancelled or revised.

It said train services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport and also between Stratford and Audley End, were affected.

It added that disruption was set to continue until 15:00.

"Teams are trying to resource rail replacement vehicles to operate to cover alterations and cancellations," it said.

There was also earlier disruption on Chiltern Railways services when a tree blocked the line between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough.

Due to river levels rising after rainfall from Storm Bert, the government issued a number of flood alerts for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

They included the Bear Brook and tributaries in the Aylesbury area, Buckinghamshire, the River Great Ouse, Riseley Brook, Bedfordshire, River Ivel in Hertfordshire and Central Bedfordshire, River Kym in Bedfordshire and River Ouzel, in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.