Woman hurt by roof slate as winds sweep UK

A WOMAN is being treated in hospital after she was struck by a roof slate as high winds caused by Storm Hector sweep the UK.

Emergency services were called to Dalry Road in Edinburgh at 9.40am yesterday and the woman, who is in her 40s, was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment.

It came amid a yellow “be aware” weather warning covering Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.

Fallen trees caused widespread travel problems, including one which fell partially blocking the A59 Hopper Lane by the Hopper Lane Hotel, near Blubberhouses in North Yorkshire.

Glass dropped several storeys from the top of the Lloyds Banking Group building in Halifax as high winds began to batter Calderdale.

One of the building’s iconic glass panels is thought to have shattered because of the pressure of the high winds, leading to the closure of St John’s Lane.

The highest winds recorded in Yorkshire were at High Bradfield near Sheffield, with a blast recorded of 62mph, and at Leeming in North Yorkshire (59mph).

But they were eclipsed by a gust of 74mph in Orlock Head, Northern Ireland, which broke the June record in Ireland, the Met Office said.

North of the border, more than 23,000 suffered disrupted electricity supply while more than 300 incidents of weather-related damage to the network were recorded including broken lines and poles. The storm brought heavy rain to parts of Cumbria with 3.2in (80mm) falling, and 5.1in (130mm) in the Isle of Skye over the past 24 hours.

The stormy weather did however boost Britain’s electricity supply with official figures showing that in the 30 minutes before 10am on Thursday, 34.5 per cent of Britain’s electricity came from wind – far higher than the six per cent recorded on previous calmer days.

A much weaker weather front is due to follow after Storm Hector passes out into the North Sea.

The Met Office is forecasting that today should be bright and breezy with sunshine and scattered showers through the day. Some of the showers will be heavy in the afternoon, with winds easing through the afternoon and a maximum temperature of 19°C.

However, the outlook for the weekend is unsettled, with Saturday promising to be rather cloudy with outbreaks of heavy rain during the day.

On Sunday and Monday there will be bright periods but also cloudy periods with occasional light rain or showers.