Storm Darragh causes widespread damage and destruction across Coventry and Warwickshire

Storm Darragh’s passage across the UK has caused widespread damage to Coventry and Warwickshire, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding to the local area.

The storm, which resulted in thousands of homes losing power and tragically claimed three lives nationally, hit the areas around the University of Warwick hard.

Due to the storm’s fierce winds, trees were knocked down across the region, injuring many people and disrupting essential services. Four people were treated by ambulance crews, including a woman and child who suffered minor injuries in one of the most serious incidents in Leamington Spa.

Storm Darragh left a trail of environmental damage, with hundreds of trees uprooted and debris scattered across roads and public spaces

A giant cedar tree collapsed, trapping three people at the corner of Grove Street and Portland Place West in Leamington Spa. While the woman and child managed to free themselves, a man suffered serious injuries.

Another man was seriously injured in a separate incident when he was hit by a falling tree on Myton Road, Warwick. On the same evening, an ambulance windscreen was damaged by a falling branch in Welford-on-Avon, though there were no injuries reported.

Storm Darragh left a trail of environmental damage, with hundreds of trees uprooted and debris scattered across roads and public spaces.

In Eastern Green, Coventry, a car port was reduced to rubble when bricks fell from an adjacent property, leaving the homeowner fearful of further collapse.

Debbie Cooper told BBC News: “We went out and we came back to see that the car port had just collapsed on the driveway and it’s been horrendous.”

She added her relief that no one had been hurt, noting: “We could have been so easily caught underneath it.”

In Leek Wootton, a falling tree smashed through a car windscreen, narrowly missing a 15-year-old girl.

Widespread disruption was reported across rail networks due to cancellations caused by fallen trees and damaged tracks throughout the West Midlands

Transportation systems were also severely affected: widespread disruption was reported across rail networks due to cancellations caused by fallen trees and damaged tracks throughout the West Midlands.

The Cross City south line from Birmingham New Street to Bromsgrove and Redditch remained closed for five days while Network Rail crews worked to repair damaged overhead lines.

Warwickshire Police received a record number of 671 calls on Saturday, 7 December, roughly equivalent to one every two minutes.

A statement on their website commended the hard work of their call handlers, saying: “Thanks […] to all of our call handlers for working extremely hard on long shifts to ensure that every call that came in received an appropriate response.

“It was all greatly appreciated, both by us, our communities, and our partner agencies.”

In its wake, Storm Darragh has left a mark, highlighting the vulnerability of infrastructure against severe weather and placing stretched emergency services into action. The police have urged residents to remain cautious and to check travel updates as recovery efforts continue.