THE WRATH OF DORIS
Woman killed as masonry falls from high street building Schoolgirl fights for life after gym ceiling collapses 100mph winds, snow and torrential rain cause chaos
STORM Doris brought death and destruction as it swept across the UK with 100mph winds. A woman was killed by falling masonry while a schoolgirl suffered “life-threatening injuries” after a gym ceiling caved in. Two OAPs were badly hurt when a tree fell on their car. Flights, trains and roads were seriously disrupted.
BRITAIN was facing up to a trail of carnage after deadly winds claimed one life and brought misery across the UK.
A woman was killed by debris, a pupil was seriously injured when a gym ceiling caved in and two were badly hurt when a tree fell on their car.
Elsewhere, 100mph winds brought chaos for roads, trains and flights.
Witnesses told of their horror after the 29-year-old woman was struck by falling “brickwork” she walked past a high street branch of Starbucks.
Shop worker Kitty Jenkins, 38, said: “A piece of debris from the roof just came down and hit her. She went down straight away. There was blood everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.”
A 19-year-old student, who refused to be named, added: “My friend saw what happened. She said the poor girl
was near decapitated. It’s absolutely horrendous.” She was declared dead by paramedics at the scene, on Dudley Street in Wolverhampton.
Local Alexander Bushell, 44, said: “It looks like brickwork has come away from an air-conditioning vent and the wind lifted it up. It looks pretty heavy, she wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
A Starbucks spokeswoman said: “We’re supporting the police with their investigation and our store will remain closed until further notice.” West Mid- lands Police said an investigation was ongoing.
Meanwhile officers said a girl was in hospital with “lifethreatening injuries” after a school gym ceiling caved in on a class of 40 pupils. Another child was treated at the scene for more minor injuries.
Southwood Middle School in Conniburrow, Milton Keynes, which had been buffeted by 80mph winds, said: “We’ve been checked by Health and Safety officers who have confirmed the building is safe.” It added: “We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities in this investigation.” A major probe was launched by Thames Valley Police. Elswhere two men, aged 80 and 70, were badly injured after a tree crashed on to their car near Church Stretton, Shropshire. The Met Office declared Doris a “weather bomb” or “explosive cyclogenesis” – an intense low-pressure system – as a bus toppled over in Cambridgeshire and a flight from Edinburgh crashlanded at Schiphol airport in Holland.
Network Rail imposed 50mph speed limits on many of its routes, leaving passengers stranded. All trains from London Euston were cancelled, with most ThamesLink trains from St Pancras delayed or cancelled.
Ferries from Ireland to Wales were cancelled, and a tenth of flights from Heathrow Airport were cancelled. A flight into Manchester had to declare a state of emergency after it initially failed to land then ran low on fuel.
High winds also forced the closure of the QE2 Dartford Crossing over the Thames, the Orwell bridge in Suffolk, and the Severn Bridge into Wales. Winds of up to 100mph in Merseyside forced the port to close, while snow was dumped across Scotland.
In the North and Wales, thousands of homes were left without power in Stockport, Chesterfield and Anglesey.
Amber “be prepared warnings” for high winds remain in place for much of England, with a new yellow warning for ice in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England today.
The Met Office’s Emma Sharples said: “The focus turns more to it turning cold, frosty and icy overnight.”