Trees fall in Essex as Storm Austen hits the county

Several fallen trees in Essex pose 'risk to life' Image source, Press Association Image caption, Essex Fire Service listed four incidents it attended where there was a risk to life By Peter Walker Essex Published 23 October 2026 Firefighters have been called out to several fallen trees in Essex which they say posed a "risk to life". Crews freed a man trapped in his car after a tree fell on it in Burnt Mills Road in Pitsea, near Basildon, at about 16:47 BST, a spokesperson said. He was left in the care of the ambulance service. Pictures shared on Facebook also showed a large tree collapsed on a car in Hobleythick Lane in Westcliff-on-Sea. Fallen tree blocks trains to Stansted Airport Published 13 hours ago A yellow weather warning from the Met Office , external , which covers the whole county, was in place until 21:00, which was associated with Storm Austen . Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said it attended several other incidents where there was "a risk to life", including: A tree fallen on power lines in The Causeway between Writtle and Edney Common, near Chelmsford. Crews were called at 16:49 and left at 18:21 Crews removed a large branch across Panfield Lane in Braintree. They were called at 17:29 and left at 18:05 Firefighters removed a tree fallen on power lines at Pound Lane in Ugley, near Stansted Airport. They were called at 17:30 and left at 18:19 Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below. Get in touch Your Voice Contact form Contact form Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds , Facebook , external , Instagram , external and X , external . Related topics Essex Pitsea Braintree Westcliff-on-Sea Writtle Ugley Wind More on this story Strong wind and rain forecast as back-to-back storms hit UK this weekend Fallen tree blocks trains to Stansted Airport Published 13 hours ago Related internet links Essex County Fire and Rescue Service