Woman killed by tree amid more storms in UK

A woman has been killed by a falling tree in Exeter as floods and high winds battered the South West of England.

Two other people were hurt when the large spruce tree fell, police said.
Two severe flood warnings remain in place for parts of Cornwall, although the situation is said to be improving.
There are more than 200 other flood warnings in place across England - nearly 80 in the South West and around 85 in the Midlands. Parts of some motorways remain closed.
The M25 is closed clockwise at the QE2 bridge in Kent because of high winds, and parts of the M50 of Gloucestershire are closed because of flooding.

The BBC Weather Centre said persistent rain would continue in the north of England and into Scotland on Sunday, turning heavy in places but clearing quite quickly from southern parts.

However, following a drier interlude, further heavy rain is expected to affect Wales and south-western parts of England during Sunday afternoon and evening.
Given existing levels of saturation, the public should be aware of the risk of localised flooding, forecasters said.
In other developments:

• The Met Office says winds are gusting at more than 50mph in parts of East Anglia
• Many roads have been closed due to flooding, particularly across the south west region
• Flooding is affecting many parts of North Yorkshire, with several roads closed across the county. And more than 20 roads in Gloucestershire - including part of the M5 motorway - have been closed because of heavy rain
• Homes in Wiltshire were flooded during heavy rain on Saturday with Malmesbury badly affected
• National Rail said there were delays between Newton Abbot and Exeter St Davids due to flooding and a landslip. The replacement buses have been cancelled on some routes
• Network Rail said trains were likely to be disrupted between Exeter, Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads until Monday. Also, flooding is causing disruption between Oxford and Worcester
• About 30 houses in the Worcestershire village of Kempsey have been evacuated due to flooding
• Staffordshire fire service says it is dealing with a high number of weather-related calls, including flooding, around the Stone and Tean areas. These include calls to cars trapped in water
• Six people have been rescued from caravans at Blue Anchor near Minehead in Somerset by fire and rescue crews
• A body thought to be that of a man who fell into a canal in fog in Watford, Hertfordshire, has been found

Devon and Cornwall Police said the dead woman was seriously injured when a tree fell in Western Way at about 23:50 GMT. She died after being taken to hospital in Exeter. The two other people were treated for minor injuries.
Inspector Andrea Webber of Devon and Cornwall Police told Sky News the woman was 21 and had been living in a small tent placed next to the wall at the roadside when the tree fell on it.

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• In pictures: Rain again lashes UK

In Cornwall, emergency services, rescue crews and the Environment Agency worked with Cornwall Council in a control room during Saturday evening.

Cornwall Council duty director David Owens said there had been more than 400 staff from the different authorities working during the night, but numbers were reduced as the weather began to clear from the west.
Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Taylor of Devon and Cornwall Police said the situation was stabilising but warned people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
"We have particularly found that people are still trying to get home and make their way to their properties, but of course some of this water is now contaminated with sewage, and... that could cause people health problems if they continue to ignore the advice," she said.
Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: "The ground is absolutely sodden at the moment and any more rain we might have on Monday or Tuesday doesn't have to be very much to add to the risk.
"We want to give [the public] the assurance that all agencies - the Environment Agency, local authorities, the emergency services - being coordinated at a local level and by government, are on the case here. We want to get people back in their homes as soon as possible."

Alan Crockford, a pub landlord in Polperro, said there had been warnings but "nobody knew it would get this bad".
He said: "We were given warnings from Floodline, and they just said like to take care, we were never given any firm warning that you had to evacuate."
The Environment Agency's severe flood warnings mean severe flooding and danger to life. Flood warnings mean people should take action because flooding is expected, while flood alerts indicate people should prepare for possible flooding.

BBC News