A tree surgeon had a busy day on Friday as the region was battered by high winds in Storm Lilian.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind, forecasting gusts of up to 80mph due to the storm, which was in place from 5am until 11am on Friday. 

As well as damage caused by the wind, there was mass disruption on roads and rail with trains cancelled and fallen trees on roads. 

Mark works for Belmont Tree SurgeonsMark works for Belmont Tree Surgeons (Image: Mark Taberner)

The A666 was closed for hours after a fallen tree blocked the northbound carriageway on the major road.

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Tree surgeon Mark Taberner has been completing jobs since this morning – with eight on his list.

He explained why the storm had taken down so many trees in the area.

Mark said: “I think the reason why there’s quite a lot of branches snapping off and things like that is because you’ve got quite a lot of leaves on the tree, the wind can’t really blow through the trees.

“You’ve got a lot of weight on the branches because of the leaves, and that’s why they’re snapping off.

“Usually, come winter time when there’s no leaves on the trees the wind can blow through them, but it’s just like a great big sail in the wind – the wind can’t get through the trees, that’s what’s happening.”

Asked about the kind of damage he was seeing, Mark said it wasn’t too bad – with most damage relegated to garden furniture.

He added: “It’s just in gardens really, I’m going to one later on Chapeltown Road – this guy’s saying he’s got a big branch that’s landed on his roof.”