A BMW drove around a cordon and crashed into a fallen tree just hours after it had crushed another car.
A Toyota Aygo was crushed by the huge fallen tree earlier this afternoon close to Staplands Day Nursery on Thomas Lane, Broadgreen. Merseyside Police confirmed road closures were in place on Thomas Lane, Thingwall Hall Drive, Thomas Drive and Staplands Road for safety precautions with motorists advised to avoid the area.
Images taken by the ECHO at the scene showed the huge tree crushing the top of the car. Luckily the driver managed to escape from the wreckage uninjured. The tree’s fall was broken by a fenced gate on the opposite side of the road which prevented the driver from suffering severe injuries.
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While the ECHO was at the scene a car drove around a section of the cones designed to prevent traffic from joining Thomas Lane. The BMW drove full speed into the tree with the car becoming temporarily lodged under its fallen branches.
The driver, a man in his 60s or 70s, managed to reverse away from the damage before driving away unhurt. However, the front of his car was seriously damaged. The ECHO also witnessed pedestrians trying to walk along Thomas Lane to nearby houses or Broadgreen Station and duck under the cordon and tree.
When the ECHO arrived at the scene there was a Merseyside Police presence. However, by the time the ECHO left at around 6.15pm all police had left the area. The road is expected to be closed for the night.
The incident is just one of many occurring today as Merseyside is battered by Storm Debi. Elsewhere train services were cancelled due to flooding and roads were closed due to fallen trees, causing queues of traffic. In Sefton, police blocked off the A565 Moor Lane due to a fallen tree at Ince Woods. Buses were also diverted, with Arriva saying that multiple road traffic collisions had made it necessary to divert the 47 bus.
The conditions got so bad that the Anglican Cathedral was forced to temporarily close “to keep everyone safe”. The cathedral posted on X: “It’s a bit windy around the cathedral at the moment with Storm Debi, so we are temporarily closing to keep everyone safe. We will let you know when we are opening again. Sorry for any inconvenience.”
You can follow all the news on Storm Debi on our live blog here.
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Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
