Man dies and transport disrupted in England's storms

Torrential rain in parts of England has caused widespread damage and led to the death of a man whose vehicle became submerged in flood water.

The man was released from his car by firefighters called to Chew Stoke, in Somerset, on Thursday evening. He was pronounced dead on the way to hospital.

Stormy weather caused travel disruption across the South West and the Midlands.

In Warwickshire three elderly people were rescued from their car when it was swept down a flooded ford.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it happened just off the A435 in Coughton Field Lane, near Alcester, at 11:30 GMT.

Their car was carried for more than 500 yards (450m) before a farmer managed to secure the vehicle.

The two women and a man were treated for shock and hypothermia, the ambulance service said.

Homes flooded

Ten elderly people spent the night away from their homes after a 20ft (6m) wall collapsed in Devon in strong winds.

The ambulance service said a farmer had secured the car before emergency crews arrived to help rescue the three people trapped in it

The wall, near St David's Hill, Exeter, came down at 20:20 GMT on Thursday dislodging hundreds of tonnes of rubble. Nobody was injured.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said 300 properties in England and Wales had been flooded over the past 24 hours.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson was due to visit flood-hit areas of the West Midlands on Friday.

There are dozens of flood warnings in England and more than 100 flood alerts.

Plymouth police said they were watching forecasts carefully and had plans in place to reopen a weather-related Silver Command room over the weekend to deal with any emergencies if needed.

'Massive crack'

On Thursday roads were blocked by floods, rubble and fallen trees and power cables.

Two girls were hurt when they were hit by a falling tree in Wollaston, Stourbridge.

One girl suffered a head injury, while the other hurt her shoulder. Both were taken to hospital.

In Wolverhampton a man escaped without injury when a tree fell on his car.

Jay Sutera, 33, from Wolverhampton, had been driving in Springfield when he pulled over in Grimstone Street to take a phone call.

He said: "I had just put the phone down and heard a massive crack.

"If a branch had come through the windscreen I could have been impaled or killed.

"I was very, very lucky indeed."

Water levels were high on the River Avon in Bath

The heavy rain left a section of the courtyard at Dudley Castle underwater, even though staff said the castle was one of the highest points in the region.

Gorge closed

A small lake formed in the courtyard of the castle, which is on top of a hill 730ft (220m) above sea level.

Elsewhere in England:

• In Bath, houses below Upper Camden Place were evacuated overnight after a landslip. No-one was hurt

• Rail passengers are still facing delays with trains between Taunton and Exeter cancelled because of flooding and delays and cancellations in north Worcestershire after a tree fell on the line between Blakedown and Kidderminster

• Power supplies to some 1,000 properties in Gloucestershire have been restored after problems caused by the weather

• Residents at a nursing home in Oxfordshire were forced to leave after concerns about rising water levels in a nearby river

• Cheddar Gorge was closed due to drivers getting punctures from stones which had washed into the road

• In Northamptonshire about 60 of the 1,000 residents who had to leave their homes when heavy rain caused flooding at Billing Aquadrome caravan park spent the night in emergency accommodation

• In Cornwall there was a landslide at Mevagissey Harbour. The harbour master said it was hoped the mud would be moved later in the day

• In Ulverston, Cumbria, a hospice was evacuated after a nearby stream burst its banks, flooding bedrooms and offices

• Fire crews rescued three people who became trapped in their vehicles in rising waters in Staffordshire

Weather warnings have been issued for the weekend, with the Met Office saying winds could damage buildings and uproot trees.

More flooding is possible, especially on ground which is already saturated by Thursday's rain.