Wild Weather: Falling Tree Kills Woman

A woman has been killed by a falling tree in Exeter, Devon, after authorities warned of "serious threats to life and property" from flooding in southwest England.

The 21-year-old woman was trapped by the fallen tree about 11:50pm on Saturday night near the junction of Western Way and Barnfield Road in Exeter.

Police said the tree fell across a wall and onto the roadway, injuring the woman and two men.

The men were treated at the scene, while the woman was taken to hospital, where she later died.

Inspector Andrew Webber of Devon and Cornwall Police told Sky News that the deceased woman had been living in a small tent sheltered against a wall at the roadside.

"It was a very large tree that had been there for... many years. Obviously we've had lots of heavy weather, it's been raining an awful lot, and the tree for whatever reason came down," he said.

"It's taken a wall with it when it came down, and then on top of that the tent was underneath and the tree has fallen on to the tent.

The site of a fallen tree in Exeter, where a 21-year-old woman died

"There are two males involved with minor injuries and obviously a poor lady of 21 who received fatal injuries at the time."

The Environment Agency had earlier warned of "serious threats to life and property" across regions of southwest England.

Severe flood warnings have been issued for Helston, Polperro, and Perranporth, and for the River Fowey from Trekeivesteps to Lostwithiel.

At Polperro, south Cornwall, the level of the River Pol has been recorded at 0.40 metres. The typical level is between 0.00 metres and 0.25 metres.

Special "rest centres" have been set up in the worst-hit villages, allowing families to shelter overnight as floodwater surges through the rural West Country.

Emergency services and rescue crews have met council bosses in an effort to spread the message about the danger to life and property, following nearly four days of rainfall.

Across the region, roads were closed for safety reasons and others were impassable as rain saturated highways, and debris blocked lanes.

Rising floodwaters in Millbrook, Cornwall (Pic: Matt Skinner)

Devon and Cornwall Police have warned people not to go to flood affected areas, adding that the worst of the rain appeared to be moving away from Cornwall towards Devon.

Sergeant Gary Watts tweeted: "Severe means risk to life. Please pay heed!"

"Flash flooding can take you by surprise and kill. If you have to be out don't take risks."

Cornwall Council announced on Twitter that the river had burst its banks at Ladock, and warned local residents to take precautions.

Severe warnings are also in place at Bolingey Stream from Bolingey to Perranporth, and at the River Cober, in Helston.

Emergency teams have been working to shore up defences, deploy temporary barriers, monitor river levels, clear blockages from watercourses and pump-out flood water from towns.

The rest of Britain is also bracing itself for more flooding and travel disruption, with forecasters predicting further heavy downpours.

A deep area of low pressure has moved in, bringing more heavy rain to areas already badly hit by Thursday's downpours.

Floodwaters surge through Penzance, Cornwall

Sky weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "England and Wales could see 15 to 25mm quite widely, with up to 60mm possible in some spots.

"Between 6am and 6pm yesterday 47mm of rain fell at St Mary's (Isles of Scilly), 28mm at Culdrose and Plymouth and 17mm at Exeter and Bournemouth.

"We can expect 30 to 40mm of rain quite widely across south Wales and the West Country overnight, with up to 60mm locally, particularly across Devon and Cornwall. 

"Elsewhere across England and Wales there will be up to 25mm of rain, with lower amounts across Scotland, but local flooding remains a risk there after such a wet week.

"Gusts up to 70mph are expected for coastal areas of southeast England, with inland gusts of 60mph. There is also the potential for some damage, particularly as the ground is saturated.

"It will be very windy across other southern areas, but the south-east is likely to see the strongest winds."

Network Rail said trains were likely to be suspended between Exeter and Bristol until Monday.

Flooding in Newlyn, Cornwall (Pic: Adam Gibbard)

The latest downpours came after the majority of the UK was battered by storms on Thursday, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded and thousands of homes without power.

More than 100 people had to be evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.

An elderly man also died after becoming trapped in his 4x4 in floods in Chew Stoke in Somerset.

Three other people had a lucky escape after their car was swept down a swollen river in Warwickshire. The vehicle was carried more than 500 metres before a farmer managed to pull it to the water's edge.

In Torquay, Devon, several homes were evacuated after a landslide. Part of a cliff face was hit by a landslip after netting was washed away.

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