STORM Doris left a path of destruction as it wreaked havoc across Worcester – toppling countless trees, damaging buildings and leaving thousands of homes without power.

Winds of up to 65mph battered the county as the storm – branded a “weather bomb” by the Met Office – swept in yesterday morning.

Winds began to pick up in Worcester from around 10am, blowing a large tree across Severn Terrace – just clipping a van as it crashed to the ground.

Luckily, the driver escaped uninjured and staff from Worcester City Council were quickly at the scene, working to remove the tree.

Cars parked at the Pitchcroft car park were left unscathed, but the railings were badly damaged and police shut the road.

Police shut Farrier Street, opposite Worcester Magistrates Court, at around 1pm after the wind ripped solar panels from the roof of the Prosser Knowles Associates building in Castle Street.

Staff at the financial advisers watched on the CCTV system as debris began to fall from the roof, landing on cars parked off Farrier Street.

Ed Brecknell, an administrator at the company, said around five cars were badly damaged by the falling panels, including one which had its windscreen smashed in.

"We just heard a lot of loud noises," said Mr Brecknell.

Over on Tolladine Road, a fallen tree restricted access for large vehicles near the junction with Sheriff Street, while on St Nicholas Street the winds blew in a second-floor window above O'Neills Irish pub.

Police cordoned off a section of pavement while the shards of smashed glass were swept up and the pub remained open for business.

In St John's, shocked shop staff could only watch as a 100ft redwood tree cracked and toppled over in the grounds of St John's Church.

It hit another tree as it fell, but thankfully noone was injured and the church escaped undamaged.

Brian Stretch, owner of The Birders Store in King Charles Place, was out testing binoculars when the tree collapsed.

"There was a huge gust of wind and then the trunk began to crack and then it just toppled over," he said.

"It was quite frightening. I work here so I know the tree and to see it come down was quite amazing – but also sad."

Meanwhile in Earls Croome, near Upton, a 40ft oak tree crashed into a village hall, destroying part of the roof and causing at least £5,000 worth of damage.

Vincent Bush, chairman of the hall, near Orchard Close, says the building will be out of use for around two months – forcing those who use it to meet elsewhere.

"It has caved the roof in on one side," said Mr Bush.

"Thankfully there was no-one in the building – there could have been people in there having their music practice or regular groups we have in there."

Countless toppled trees caused traffic chaos across the county, with large branches completely blocking roads for hours, leading to long delays.

The A449 at Hawford, just outside Worcester, was almost completely blocked, while another tree fell across the A443 at Holt Heath, near Top Barn.

The B4209 Malvern Wells turning at Hanley Castle was completely blocked hours after a tree fell across the road. And in Pershore, the B4084 was also cut off.

John Fraser, of Worcestershire County Council's Highways department, said his staff had had a "manically busy" day, receiving well over 250 calls about fallen trees across the county.

A team of 60 inspectors and contractors worked tirelessly to clear the county's highways of trees and debris – working from 6am late into the night.

"It has been absolutely manically busy, the phone has been ringing off the hook," said Mr Fraser. "We do deal with them [storms] but it has been the most significant one we have had for quite a while."

And gritters were out treating the roads, with temperatures predicted to drop overnight into Friday.

On the railways, London Midland urged passengers not to travel as services were delayed and cancelled by debris on the tracks. A blanket speed limit of 50mph was imposed for safety reasons.

And around 9,000 homes in Herefordshire and Worcestershire were without power, as Storm Doris brought down power lines.