Rail line reopens as Claudia clean up continues

Highways crews in Staffordshire had hundreds of call-outs during Storm Claudia, dealing with damaged trees, flooding and power outages.

More than 220 notifications came in between Friday and Sunday morning, twice the usual number, with 131 classed as an emergency, the county council.

The Chase rail line, which runs between Birmingham and Rugeley, opened on Sunday morning after being blocked since Friday due to fallen trees and overhead wire damage.

Crews worked across the weekend to clear routes and monitor river levels, also checking on vulnerable residents, the authority said.

"The main issues were fallen trees and some roads flooded by waterways bursting their banks, or rainfall running off fields," deputy chief executive Darryl Eyers said.

Cheshire East Council said it had taken more than 170 calls following the severe winds, mainly to deal with fallen trees, including on London Road in Nantwich and on Congleton Road North, in Congleton.

Meanwhile, Moorlands Police thanked farmers, motorists and delivery drivers who had assisted officers in clearing debris.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather warning for the West Midlands, in place from 08:00 GMT on Monday until 08:00 next Friday.

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