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Storm Doris: Woman killed in Wolverhampton city centre as gale force winds rock UK Storm Doris: Woman killed in Wolverhampton city centre as gale force winds rock UK
(about 3 hours later)
A woman has been killed by falling debris in Wolverhampton city centre, amid high winds across the UK caused by Storm Doris. A woman has been killed by a piece of debris blown into the street as a storm battered the UK with winds of up to 94mph.
West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed it had been called to the incident. It said: "Two ambulances, an area support officer and two critical care paramedics were sent to the scene after 15 999 calls at 11.43am." Storm Doris - described by meteorologists as a "weather bomb" - uprooted trees, grounded planes, forced the closure of the Port of Liverpool and caused the cancellation of Coronation Street filming.
A spokesman added: "On arrival, crews found a woman who had suffered very serious head injuries. Sadly, it quickly became apparent that there was nothing that could be done to save her and she was confirmed dead at the scene." The unnamed victim was killed when an object said to be the "size of a coffee table" was blown into the street in Wolverhampton city centre.
A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: "Police in Wolverhampton were called to the scene of a serious incident in Dudley Street at around 11.50am. Passer-by Rebecca Davis, 40, a teacher from the city, saw medics trying to save the woman's life.
"Roads in the area are closed and motorists and pedestrians are being advised to avoid the city centre. The incident is believed to be related to Storm Doris." She said the victim - who looked to be aged "between 20 and 30" - appeared to have been hit by something looking like a piece of roof which had fallen off a building nearby.
The storm has wreaked havoc across Britain and brought gusts of almost 95mph. "I think the wind broke it and caused it to fall. I don't know if it was hit by something else or just the wind did it," she said.
A top wind speed of 94mph was recorded in Capel Curig, North Wales, as Doris rolled in, with 82mph also clocked in Aberdaron, North Wales, the Met Office said. She added that while the woman had been hit "right outside Starbucks", it was unclear if the debris had fallen from the coffee shop or from a nearby building.
Meteorologists have called the storm a "weather bomb". "I don't think anyone else was hurt. It was a big piece about the size of a coffee table but I think it just hit her," she said.
More follows Starbucks said in statement: "We are shocked and saddened by this terrible incident.
"We are supporting the police with their investigation and our store will remain closed until further notice."
The Met Office said a top wind speed of 94mph was recorded in Capel Curig, North Wales, on Thursday morning.
Warnings of strong winds and heavy rain in North Wales, the Midlands, the East and the North West have now been extended to include the London area.
There were reports of trees felled by the winds across the country, with one trapping a man in a van on the A374 in Cornwall, and others collapsing on to houses in London and Wigan.
As Doris hit, Peel Ports in Liverpool announced the city's port had been closed due to "100mph gusts of wind".
The company said: "All operations are stood down for the safety of our employees, contractors and customers of the port."
Network Rail said the violent weather had caused "significant disruption throughout the country", with an enforced speed limit on some lines.
With fallen trees, objects caught in overhead wires, heavy rain, flooding and debris on the tracks causing delays across many services, a spokesman said employees are "doing all we can to keep the network running".
Flights were also affected, with a Heathrow spokesman warning of a "10% reduction" in the airport's schedule.
A number of roads were closed including the M6 Thelwall Viaduct in both directions between junction 20 and 21 in the North West and the QE2 Bridge in Dartford, Kent.
In Scotland snowfall saw the M80 closed in both directions, as well as schools shut and some ferry services cancelled.
Up to 6in (15cm) of snow was expected to fall across parts of Scotland and north-east England, bringing treacherous, blizzard-like conditions.
And in Ireland almost 46,000 households woke up to no electricity after violent gusts battered large swathes of the country throughout the night.
Press Association contributed to this report