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Storm Malik: 'Very lucky' man escapes van crushed by tree

Watch: Richard Nutter and Lee Warriner speak to the BBC after their van was crushed by a tree

A man has escaped with cuts and bruises from a van crushed by a tree that fell in Storm Malik's strong winds.

Richard Nutter was getting changed in the back of the vehicle after cycling when the tree came down on top of it in Apperley Bridge, Bradford.

He was initially trapped in the back seat but a friend managed to pull him out.

Shaken by the ordeal, Mr Nutter said he was a "very lucky man" to have escaped.

A nine-year-old boy died in Staffordshire and a 60-year-old woman was killed in Aberdeen after being hit by falling trees amid gusts of up to 85mph.

Richard Nutter
Richard Nutter said he was a "very lucky man" after his escape

"I was sat in between the two back seats, just crouching down and it pushed me further down," Mr Nutter said, describing the moment the tree crashed on top of him.

"I lay on the floor and my friend pulled me out the back of the van."

Mr Nutter's friend Lee Warriner told the BBC: "We're both very fortunate."

The crushed van under a tree
The man inside the van when it was crushed had spent the morning cycling in nearby woodland

Strong gusts have caused widespread disruption as Storm Malik sweeps across northern parts of the UK.

The Humber Bridge was partly closed after a lorry was blown on to its side by strong winds.

The bridge, between Hessle and Barton-upon-Humber, was shut by emergency services at about 13:30 GMT. It remains closed to northbound traffic.

An overturned lorry
Strong winds have been reported across the north of England because of Storm Malik

High-sided vehicles were not allowed to cross the bridge this morning.

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The ambulance service has been contacted for information about the welfare of those in the lorry when it turned over.

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