Emergency as Storm Otto tears down Sheffield trees and sends man to hospital

Councillor Barbara Masters came across the debris on Highcliffe Drive, Ecclesall, this morning.

She reported it to Streets Ahead – which manages the highways in the city for Sheffield Council – which is treating it as an emergency. The service plans to clear it away soon.

Coun Shaffaq Mohammed, fellow Ecclesall ward councillor, said: “Storm Otto has arrived in Sheffield, this tree is one of the first casualties.”

A man in his 50s was taken to hospital with serious injuries earlier in the day after being struck by another blown over tree on Endcliffe Vale Road in Sheffield at around 08:50am, police said.

A nearby property was also damaged and structural engineers have been dealing with the mess after closing the roads.

Gusts of winds up to 70 mph have also brought widespread disruption across the country with trains, planes and power lines affected.

More than 1,000 Sheffield properties lost electricity as a result and some have been told they may not get it back until Saturday at the earliest.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for Sheffield, and stated there was a “small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris” along with a risk of damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.

Streets Ahead said in a statement: “Take extra care if you’re out and about and allow more time for your journey as there could be some disruption on the roads.”