Car crushed in Harrogate and lorries overturn as Storm Otto batters North Yorkshire
The A1(M) was closed earlier after two lorries overturned, and some trains have been cancelled
A car has been crushed by a tree in Harrogate and two lorries have overturned on the A1(M) after Storm Otto arrived in North Yorkshire.
The Met Office has had a yellow weather warning in place for strong winds since 5am, with LNER cancelling trains between York and Edinburgh.
Hundreds of homes in North Yorkshire have also been left without power due to the impact of the storm.
Three lorries overturned on A1(M) as police see calls increase
North Yorkshire Police said they saw an increase in calls this morning, with around 20 reports of trees falling in Harrogate.
The A1(M) was also closed in several areas after three lorries overturned, with one of the vehicles losing its roof.
Inspector Ian McNiff is the duty Force Incident Manger in the Force Control Room, Ian commented:
“Were not able to attend every incident and we do need to prioritise resources to those most in need.
“Members of the public can help the police and other emergency services by reporting any storm related incidents to the most appropriate agency.
“The local authorities and the Highway Agency are responsible for removing fallen trees.
“If a road is blocked because of a fallen tree and there is no immediate danger then this should be reported to the council or Highways Agency in the first instance.
"The police should then be notified via 101 if it’s expected to cause a significant amount of disruption."
Car crushed by falling tree in Harrogate
A car has also been crushed by a falling tree in Harrogate.
Zenya Dunne said her partner heard a crashing sound early on Friday morning, and thought the tree was coming through their front window.
"He heard this crushing sound. Fortunately it hadn't come through the front window, but it has completely crushed his car.
"The frightening thing was, he was due to go to work just before, so the thought of him being in the car. He wouldn't be here."
Another man said there were reports of fallen trees all over the district, and a pair of ladders on the A1.
Northern Powergrid working to restore electricity to hundreds of homes
Northern Powergrid is working to restore electricity to hundreds of homes in North Yorkshire that have been cut off by Storm Otto.
Most of the properties affected are around Ripon and Knaresborough, with dozens more around Skipton and York.
The company said on its website: "Our teams have been mobilised in readiness to restore supplies as safely and quickly as possible however, our team’s ability to work at height will be impacted until the high winds have passed.
"Due to the nature of storms and the uncertainty of the damage they might cause, we will be providing generalised estimates of restorations that are subject to some uncertainty."
LNER has also cancelled trains between York and Edinburgh, while Northern said some services were impacted after lines were blocked.