STORMY weather in the Malvern area on Sunday and Monday proved to be the wettest for a year and windiest for three years, says weather-watcher Frank Hill.

41 millimetres of rain fell in the 24 hours up to 6am on Monday, October 30, making it the wettest 24-hour period since September 19, 1999.

A gust of wind was recorded at 45mph on Sunday evening, only to be topped by a 60mph gust at about 6am on Monday.

"That's the fastest gust we've recorded since January 1998," said Mr Hill.

"Once you get up to about 60-70mph, you really start to see the damage. It will be made worse by the fact that many trees are still in leaf, which increases the impact the wind has on them."

Trees fell in the grounds of Park View in Grange Road, on Link Common, on Foley Terrace, on the Wells Common and on The Purlieu.

Priory Park lost four trees: a mature horse chestnut, a mulberry and two smaller specimens.

Workers from Malvern Hills Conservators were up early on Monday morning, clearing the trees that fell on their land.

Director Ian Rowat said: "This is somewhat inevitable given weather like this, because many of Malvern's trees were planted in the Victorian era and are getting on a bit.

"The effect of the wind is not helped by all the rain that fell, which has the effect of loosening the soil.

"This is something I have been concerned about and we keep a close eye on our trees, especially those by the highway."

Mike Davies, of the Worcestershire Highways Partnership, said: "Our men were out dealing with fallen trees on Sunday afternoon and evening, then out again at 3am on Monday."

He said the worst-affected areas were on the A438, between Rye Cross, Birtsmorton, and the Mythe, Tewkesbury, and on the A44 west of Worcester, which was blocked in three places, including one where a tree brought down a power line.

Dozens of Herefordshire Council workers were out and about since the early hours of Monday morning, clearing away fallen trees.

Country lanes around Bosbury, Cradley and Wellington Heath were flooded, as were the Dymock Road out of Ledbury and the A417 leading to the M50. And several deep pools were reported on the A465 out of Bromyard.

Firefighters from Malvern were called out to pump water out from a cottage at Drake Street, Welland, and the cellar of the Plough and Harrow pub in Guarlford.

And an Earls Croome family looks set to be facing bills of thousands after water entered their home on Sunday night.

"We are a mile from the River Severn and 200 feet above it, so you really do not think this is going to happen," said Phillip Mackie.

"But there is a field behind our house which is higher and the torrential rain that was coming down on Sunday night overwhelmed the drainage ditch."

Mr Mackie and his neighbour managed to divert the stream by knocking down a wall. But after they retired for the night, the water came into the house from the other side.

"We woke up in the morning and the living room, the dining room and the hall had been flooded.

"It's going to mean new carpets, new furniture and I don't know what else. We'll be lucky if it only ends up costing us a couple of thousand."

Mr Mackie, a broadcaster with BBC Radio Five Live, went on the air from home on Monday morning to describe his predicament.