THE severe weather pushed Redditch Council's emergency services to the limit as workers struggled to deal with a record number of calls.

Strong winds ripped scores of trees out by the roots and heavy rain flooded many roads, making them impassable.

Many townsfolk were left without electricity or water and the storms, some of the worst Redditch has ever seen, brought the town to a near standstill.

Miles of traffic jams and a lack of public transport, including no train service out of the town, added to the chaos.

Council employees worked around the clock to deal with 10 times as many calls as they would normally take on an October day.

A council spokesman said: "There have been a number of problems with fallen trees, boughs and debris.

"Our landscaping and refuse teams have been out cleaning up and it will be a few days before things are back to normal, so we ask residents to bear with us."

Worcestershire County Council highways unit for Redditch, which works closely with the council, also received a record number of calls.

Highways Partnership Unit manager for Redditch, Jim Casey, said: "We were inundated with calls on Sunday night and Monday. And I've never known so many trees fall down in Redditch.

"Officers were out all the time clearing up trees blocking highways and footways."

Electricity company GPU Power has been forced to draft in other electricity suppliers to help out with the high number of faults.

A GPU spokesman said up to 1,000 customers were still without power yesterday in Church Green East, Crabbs Cross, Beoley, Astwood Bank, Sambourne, Ipsley, Rowney Green and Feckenham.

The Slough resident Danie Theron said yesterday he was concerned about his week-old baby after being left without hot water or heating for more than 32 hours.

He said: "I just want to know what's going on. My little boy has started to get a chest infection and we'll see what the midwife says, but we might have to take him to hospital."

Redditch police had numerous calls about fallen trees or from people who had been involved in minor road accidents.

One Redditch ambulance crew became trapped when on their way to an emergency in Inkberrow on Monday morning.

An ambulance spokesman said: "The crew were going down the lane when they realised a tree was down in front of them.

"They turned round to go back but another tree had fallen down in their path so they were trapped.

"Luckily, someone came along with a chain saw to clear the trees and the woman had recovered when the crew arrived."

Fire crews were called to deal with two floods in Winyates Green and Church Hill and a tree which was touching high power cables in Cookhill.