HIGHWAYS teams from Worcester and Malvern assisted as Storm Jocelyn ripped through Worcestershire bringing down trees and cutting power.
More than 50 trees were brought down across the county as Jon Fraser, from Worcestershire County Council Highways, said Worcestershire had been more hit than the previous Storm Isha of a couple of nights earlier.
Among the issues was a power cut in Worcester which left 1,283 homes without power in the WR2 postcode at around 10pm on Tuesday night (January 23).
Power was quickly restored to the majority but issues did persist for some across the night and into Wednesday morning.
Among the trees that came down were ones in Holmes Lane, Hanbury, which fell onto power lines, the A442 Rushock which blocked a trading estate; Holmes Lane, Hanbury; Upper Gambolds Lane, Stoke Prior, near Bromsgrove, and on the A4449 in Kidderminster.
Tee Murdoch, of Leswell Street, Kidderminster, was surprised to discover a greenhouse had blown onto her roof.
"I went out into the road and looked up and it was a greenhouse," she said
"Of all the things that could have been up there, that was the least expected one”.
She later found out that the greenhouse belongs to a resident on nearby Leswell Lane, whose garden backs onto her home.
Jon Fraser, Worcestershire County Council Highways and Travel boss, told us they had been very busy last night.
"We weren't expecting it to be as busy - Storm Isha was an amber warning so we thought that would be the one," he said.
"It was more busier north of the county - there were trees down in the Wyre Forest and Bromsgrove area.
"Our guys from the Malvern and Worcester area were out to back the guys up in the north of the county.
"At half 11pm there were over 20 trees in just Wyre Forest - that was around the total for the whole county on Sunday.
"There was over 50 trees down in total."
Mr Fraser said it was the latest weather issue to deal with during a busy January for the highways team.
"It is just constant at the moment, nonstop recently with floods then ice and now two storms in quick succession," he said.
⚠️ Holmes Lane, Hanbury closed due to fallen power lines - thanks to @TrafficBroms for the report#StormJocelyn https://t.co/31uraD9dNn
— Worcs County Council Highways & Travel (@WorcsTravel) January 23, 2024
"People should be prepared for storms, tying things down that could take off in the wind and keep checking the forecast so that they are aware.
"We are always really well prepared for bad weather and I’m immensely proud of our team who work tirelessly to ensure our roads are safe for our residents to travel.
"We are across all the forecasts all the time."
Councillor Mike Rouse, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for highways and transport added "We are always really well prepared for bad weather and I’m immensely proud of our team who work tirelessly to ensure our roads are safe for our residents to travel.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the staff who responded to the weather challenges.”
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