A vehicle in which a man died after being trapped in flood waters is wedged under a bridge following heavy rainfall in Chew Stoke, Somerset, southwest England, on November 23, 2012.    — Photo by AFP

LONDON: A woman was killed by a falling tree in southwest England, police said Sunday, as severe flood warnings were introduced in parts of the country already soaked by rain and battered by strong winds.

The unnamed woman was taken to hospital, but died later, after a tree fell on her late Saturday in Exeter, Devon and Cornwall police said. Two other people were said to have been injured in the incident.

Cornwall in southwest England was the main focus of fears for life and property as rivers threatened to burst their banks and residents reported surges of floodwater coursing through picturesque towns.

Severe flood warnings, which the Environment Agency classifies as meaning there is a risk to life, were in place in the Cornish towns of Helston and Perranporth as well as in the pretty fishing port of Polperro.

Alan Crockford, a pub landlord in Polperro, said there had been warnings but “nobody knew it would get this bad”.

He told the BBC: “I was actually in my house and I heard a roar, and just looked outside the window and that was the first bit of water that just... came down the hill, like a river running straight down the road.”Rail operators said many services in southwest England were disrupted due to landslides and flooding.

The Environment Agency has more than 100 less acute flood warnings in place in England and Wales as forecasters warn that more rain is on its way after days of downpours.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...