Man Seriously Injured as Numerous Trees Fall on Cotswolds Road During Storm Darrragh

A man sustained serious injuries when a significant quantity of trees collapsed onto a road in the Cotswolds during Storm Darrragh. He was hit by a tree on the A436, situated between Notgrove and Bourton-on-the-Water, as he walked with his wife. The pair were on holiday in the region. The event occurred at approximately 20:41 GMT on December 7, a time when Gloucestershire was predominantly under a yellow wind warning. The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) reported that the individual was transported to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital to receive medical attention. Gloucestershire County Council announced that 20 trees would be removed from the A436, which is scheduled to remain closed for a week. Drone video, uploaded to the council’s YouTube channel and captured by BGG Garden & Tree Care Ltd, depicted the trees entirely obstructing the thoroughfare and access to residents’ properties. A red wind warning had been issued for the coastal areas of Wales and Somerset, encompassing a significant portion of the adjacent Bristol Channel over the weekend. Wind gusts exceeded 90 miles per hour (144km p/h) in locations near the mouth of the River Severn during the weather event. Paul Dadge, a resident residing on the A436, stated that his driveway is “fully blocked” by the fallen trees. In an interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire, the painter recounted that the couple informed him they observed the trees “swaying” prior to their collapse. Mr. Dadge reported, “He actually had to get winched up out of the debris and unfortunately he was drawn out with a broken pelvis.” An additional resident described the trees falling like “candles being knocked over.” This individual commented: “It was really frightening because when they started coming, one would come down, then another minute you’d hear a crack and another one would come down.” Daniel Tiffney, the deputy area highways manager at Gloucestershire County Council, confirmed that the fallen trees were the property of a private landowner. Mr. Tiffney characterized the weekend as “a challenging time” for his personnel. He stated, “For the A436 in particular, there are 50-60 trees down just on that one site, across a 400m stretch of carriageway.” Mr. Tiffney added, “They are particularly big trees that the guys are dealing with so we’ve got our specialist contractors on site there.” Mr. Tiffney indicated that the trees were being cut into pieces and chipped, with the clearing of the downed trees anticipated to be finished by next week. He expressed, “We want to clear those trees and get the road open for the public again.” He further explained, “Once we have cleared the trees, we will be working with the landowner, who we’re already in contact with, to do an assessment on the trees that are still standing in place to make sure they’re safe.” For updates, follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story suggestions can be sent via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.