Storm Doris: Woman killed by flying debris in Wolverhampton named

A woman who was killed after being hit by debris in Wolverhampton during Storm Doris has been named as 29-year-old Tahnie Martin from Stafford.

Ms Martin was fatally injured when a large piece of wooden debris fell from a building while she was walking with colleagues from the University of Wolverhampton in Dudley Street at around midday on Thursday.

She was the first victim of Storm Doris, which brought winds of up to 94mph to the UK, and also injured three others in separate incidents.

In response to Ms Martin's death, Dr Aidan Byrne, course leader at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “Everyone in the English department is shocked and saddened by the death yesterday of Tahnie Martin.

“She organised our fiftieth anniversary dinner on Wednesday night, coping with us with humour and forbearance. She was irrepressibly optimistic and kind, full of ideas and always enthusiastic.

"We were so grateful to her, and we're glad that the last thing we did on Wednesday night was give her a hug and tell her how much we appreciated everything she did.

“She will be missed by everyone who knew her.”

A girl was also left with life-threatening injuries after a ceiling collapsed in a school sports hall in Milton Keynes, which Thames Valley Police said was “possibly” caused by the storm.

Police are to hold a joint investigation with Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to assess the cause of the collapse at Southwood Middle School in Conniburrow.

A man was meanwhile left in a “serious condition” in a central London hospital following reports of “debris falling from the roof of a building” by Victoria Station, according to the Metropolitan Police.

In Stoke-on-Trent, a woman in her sixties was taken to hospital for a “serious head injury” after being hit by a carport roof.

A top wind speed of 94mph was recorded in Capel Curig, North Wales, on Thursday morning as Storm Doris swept across the UK.

The weather system which brought gales, snow and rain to much of the UK caused travel disruption on the roads and rail network, brought down trees, grounded planes and toppled large vehicles.