Tree falls on house as Storm Arwen wreaks havoc across the region

A house was left damaged after a tree crashed onto it during Storm Arwen.

The tree toppled on to the property in The Drive, Bury, as strong winds raged in the early hours of this morning (November 27).

The occupants – believed to be an elderly couple – were not home when the Manchester Evening News visited this afternoon but are said to have been asleep in bed when the tree fell at about 4am.

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Helen O’Brien, who lives opposite, said she only realised what had happened after waking up on Saturday morning.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

“It’s not something you expect to see. I’m worried about the tree outside my house going too.”

Workers were later seen using a crane to remove the tree.

However, part of it remained on the pavement on Saturday afternoon.

There was also visible damage to the roof of the property.

As the winds picked up overnight, Storm Arwen also left a trail of destruction across other parts of Bury.

Fountain Street North was closed to traffic and pedestrians on Saturday as firefighters and a demolition firm dealt with an unsafe wall, according to Bury Council.

A tree also fell down outside Castle Leisure Centre in the town centre, while at All Saints Church in Whitefield, a tree collapsed into the graveyard.

An eyewitness said a number of gravestones were ‘disturbed’, although none appeared to have been knocked over.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the M62 was closed between junctions 21 and 22 at 2.30am after more than 120 lorries got stuck in heavy snow.

Snow ploughs and gritters were deployed to clear the road.

In Manchester city centre, emergency services were called to the Northern Quarter after wooden boards were blown onto two parked cars by the winds.

Meanwhile, Metrolink services were suspended between Rochdale town centre and Shaw and Crompton due to damage to the overhead line caused by a fallen tree.

In Bolton, Lever Edge Lane was shut for several hours due to concerns over an ‘unsafe building’.

The road has since reopened.