Storm Eunice leaves thousands in West Midlands without power

Almost 15,000 homes were left without power in the West Midlands in the wake of Storm Eunice.

In some areas winds reached more than 60mph, bringing down trees on roads and power lines. Most homes have since been reconnected.

Residents in Herefordshire were particularly affected, with some 1,200 homes without electricity at one point.

Two people escaped with minor injuries as a tree fell on to their car in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

They were treated at the scene at the junction of Queen Street and Hanover Street.

Strong winds also ripped a large section off a roof in Coventry and caused a wall to collapse at an industrial estate in Birmingham. Luckily there were no injuries.

Also in Birmingham, a woman was taken to hospital for check-ups after being hit by a flying object outside the Bullring shopping centre; her injuries were said not to be life threatening.

At about 12:20 GMT, a large tree fell on to the roof of Holme Lacy House Hotel in Hereford, with police, fire crews and paramedics sent to the scene.

Firefighters searched rooms on the ground, first and second floors and everyone was accounted for and no casualties were reported, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service said.

Earlier, dozens of schools were closed across the wider region as a precaution and rail users were advised not to travel.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: "The highest wind gust so far for Storm Eunice was 122mph at Needles on the Isle of Wight".

Many rail services around the region were either cancelled or faced lengthy delays.

West Midlands Railway (WMR) warned of major disruption and asked people to delay their journeys until the weekend.

Chiltern Railways, which operates between Birmingham and London, suspended all its services due to a roof being blown on to the line at Banbury. It too advised people not to travel on Friday.

Avanti West Coast has suspended all services north and south of the West Midlands for the remainder of Friday. Tickets will now be valid on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

One person stranded in London because of the disruption caused by Eunice is the comedian Joe Lycett.

He was due to perform in front of a home crowd in Birmingham, but tweeted to say he won't be making it.

At Birmingham Airport, a number of flights in and out have been cancelled because of high winds.

Amid expectations Eunice would be one of the strongest storms in recent decades, the Environment Agency issued a number of flood alerts for the region, with barriers going up in Shrewsbury and Bewdley. Flood defences are also due in Ironbridge in Shropshire.

Dozens of schools were closed across the region as a precaution on Friday morning.

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