Storms uproot trees and bring traffic to a standstill in night of chaos

Mar 13 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

Storms uproot trees and bring traffic to a standstill in night of chaos

PEOPLE across Merseyside are today picking up the pieces after storms hit the region.

Trees were uprooted, and traffic brought to a standstill as wreckage blocked roads in and around Liverpool yesterday morning.

Merseyside firefighters were called out to more than 30 incidents within four hours.

Chimney stacks in Thornton Hough, Wallasey, Walton and Hesketh Park were all blown over. Fire- fighters had to make use of their hydraulic platform at Tramway Road, Aigburth, where tiles were being stripped from roofs by the strength of the gales.

Meanwhile, trees were brought down in Pygons Hill Lane, Lydiate, hitting power lines and others were torn down in Alexander Drive, Aigburth as well as at Woolton, Croxteth and Walton.

Around 350 people were left without elec- tricity in Merseyside, according to Scottish- Power, with the last 50 only being reconnected at 6pm yesterday.

Dramatically, a window was blown out of West Tower, on Brook Street, while a building collapsed in Windsor Street, Toxteth.

Knowsley Council were called out to a family in Hayes Avenue, Prescot, yesterday morning when a gable end wall collapsed at a family home.

Winds died off by mid-afternoon, but gusts were still enough to buffet shoppers.