Emergency services worked tirelessly through the night to pick up the pieces caused by 70mph winds that battered Greater Manchester.
Just outside MM’s office on Piccadilly, a telephone box was completely up-rooted presumably by the high winds.
The battered phone box lay on its side as commuters walked by.
This was just one of countless incidents that occured during the storms.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police took more than 1,700 calls between 3pm and 10pm yesterday as severe weather hit the region.
GMP were inundated with weather-related calls as fallen trees, damage to buildings and an increase in road traffic collisions caused disruption across the area.
FLATTENED: Telephone box was completely up-rooted by storm
At its peak, firefighters were receiving 100 calls an hour.
Manchester’s Chill Factore also had to be evacuated after parts of the roof started to blow away.
The front of a terraced house on Beech Grove, Ashton-under-Lyne, suffered a partial collapse and also damaged the exteriors of two neighbouring properties.
Beech Grove and a section of Manchester Road was cordoned off from around 6.30pm as crews dealt with the incident.
MM learned of one tree in Barlow Moor Road, South Manchester, that was completely blown down, crushing a car in the process.
PICCADILY: Telephone box lays destroyed as commuters walk by
Manchester City’s Premiership match with Sunderland was forced to be called off an hour before kick-off due to the severe weather.
Severe winds caused travel chaos in and around the city, as sections of the M60 at Barton Bridge and Tameside were closed to prevent any traffic accidents.
Thelwall Viaduct in Cheshire was also closed for several hours caused increased pressure on Manchester’s roads. The majority of road closures were lifted about midnight.
Additionally, commuters travelling on public transport were subjected to significant delays.
Luckily, Greater Manchester Police received no reports of any serious injuries caused directly by the weather.
TIMBER: Tree comes down on Barlow Moor Road (picture courtesy of Rob Humphreys, with thanks)
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan of GMP said: “Yesterday was a very challenging day for everyone in Greater Manchester – including ourselves as police officers, other emergency services and not least the people living and working in Manchester who were caught up in the gale force winds that hit the region.
“As a result, we saw a large surge in the number of 999 and 101 calls made to Greater Manchester Police asking for our assistance in dealing with weather-related incidents.
“I would firstly like to pay tribute to the officers and staff from all the emergency services who worked tirelessly throughout the evening to keep the people of Greater Manchester safe. To date, we have not received any reports of anyone suffering serious injuries as a direct result of the bad weather.
BATTERED: Severe winds blew off part of the Chill Factore’s roof (pic courtesy of Gaz Poole, with thanks)
“I would also like to commend the patience shown by commuters caught up in long delays on our roads and public transport. Undoubtedly it was a very frustrating day for them but I hope they can understand that ensuring their safety is our number one priority and that is why we had to close certain roads.
“We have also seen the devastation caused by bad weather and flooding in other areas of the country and I’m sure people living in Manchester will be sending their thoughts and sympathies to those who have suffered so badly.”
The GMP spokesperson urged motorists in Manchester to take extra care while driving until the adverse conditions completely subside.
