Deadly Barra Batters Britain With Floods And 70mph Winds

THE body of an elderly woman was pulled from a flooded river as Storm Barra barrelled into Britain with 70mph winds, rain and snow.

- Jan Disley

Venetia Smith went missing from her home in Blandford, Dorset, and the 80-year-old’s stroller was found at a bridge over the Stour.

It is believed she fell in and was swept away. A body was found a mile downstream yesterday afternoon, said Dorset Police.

Elsewhere, fallen trees blocked roads and rail lines, while ferries and trains were cancelled and buildings damaged.

A man and a woman were hurt and taken to hospital after a tree fell on them in Fitz Park, Keswick, Cumbria.

One casualty had to be rescued from under the debris but neither person was thought to be seriously injured.

Stranraer Academy secondary school in Dumfries and Galloway was closed after winds caused structural damage to its roof.

High spring tides and strong winds sent the sea crashing ashore in Langstone, Hants, where staff at the village’s Royal Oak pub bailed out the building to keep it dry.