• Three boys injured, two seriously, after falling tree crushes them in London
  • Now understood to be in a stable condition in hospital
  • Wind and rain lash the country - and more is coming tomorrow night
  • Elton John cuts short concert due to strong winds
  • Charity 10km run is cancelled as sand blows across course

By Jane Bunce

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Two nine-year-old boys suffered serious head injuries after a tree fell on them at a cricket ground in south west London, as winds of up to 56mph swept across the country.

A third boy, also aged nine, suffered a leg injury and has been described as 'walking wounded'.

The accidents came as blustery gales and other unseasonable weather swept up the country from the south coast.

Shock: The tree fell on the three boys at at Spencer Cricket Club in Earlsfield, south west London

Shock: The tree fell on the three boys at at Spencer Cricket Club in Earlsfield, south west London

Practice nets: Two boys were seriously hurt when a tree fell onto the nets at Spencer Cricket Ground

Practice nets: Two boys were seriously hurt when a tree fell onto the nets at Spencer Cricket Ground

Terrible accident: Three children were hurt when a large tree came down during high winds in Earlsfield

Terrible accident: Three children were hurt when a large tree came down during high winds in Earlsfield

The boys had been waiting for a turn in the practice nets at Spencer Cricket Ground, Earlsfield, in high winds when the tree fell.

An ambulance helicopter attended, along with three road ambulances and four other duty officer and rapid response cars, after receiving an emergency call around 3.45pm on Saturday.

All three boys were taken to nearby St George's Hospital in Tooting.

Unseasonal: Strong winds and rain batter are battering Britain. With only four days until midsummers day, the weather on this stretch of the Welsh coastline seems more appropriate to October

Unseasonal: Strong winds and rain batter are battering Britain. With only four days until midsummer's day, the weather on this stretch of the Welsh coastline seems more appropriate to October

The three boys are all understood to be in a stable condition.

Monique Wilkinson, 33, was staging a birthday party for her three-year-old daughter at her home when she heard the tree fall.

Reliving the horror, she said: 'We could see the kids stuck under the tree and there were a lot of people around. It's terrible.

'These kids play on the field every weekend.

'The air ambulance landed in the field across the road from us and there were four or five ambulances in total.

'The emergency services seemed to have everything under control.

'Another tree came down on this road earlier in the day which shows how bad the winds were.'

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A spokesman from Wandsworth Borough Council said the boys were among a line of children queuing at the nets, when 'all of a sudden this tree came down on them'.

'It has been pretty windy in town today and you can have a really healthy tree, but if the wind catches in a particular way a healthy tree can be blown over,' Charlie Masson-Smith from Wandsworth Council said.

'It is a terrible accident.'

The strongest winds yesterday were in Southampton, where they reached as high as 56mph.

'That is a strong gust for the time of year,' MeteoGroup senior forecaster Brendan Jones said.

'Across most of southern England and south Wales there have been gusts of 45 to 50mph which is pretty blustery.'

In Blackpool, the inaugural concert by Sir Elton John at a new venue was cut short last night by strong winds.

Unsafe: Police advised Sir Elton to stop playing due to the high winds

Unsafe: Police advised Sir Elton to stop playing due to the high winds

Nearly two hours into his set at the Blackpool Tower Headland outdoor arena, Elton told a disappointed crowd of almost 11,000 that on police advice he had been told to stop playing.

In Bournemouth, a charity 10k run due to take place today has also been hit after a thick layer of sand was blown off the beach on to the seafront course.

The seafront road was covered with up to a foot of sand, leaving Bournemouth Borough Council with insufficient time to clear it before the Cancer Research UK Race for Life events.

Cancelled: Cancer Research UK's 10km Race for Life has been scrapped due to the thick layer of sand blown onto the seafront road in Bournemouth, but the 5km is still scheduled

Cancelled: Cancer Research UK's 10km Race for Life has been scrapped due to the thick layer of sand blown onto the seafront road in Bournemouth, but the 5km is still scheduled

Hazel Bedford, spokeswoman for Cancer Research UK, said: 'The sand drifts mean you cannot see where the road ends and the beach starts in some areas.

KAYAKER DIES IN WALES

A male kayaker has died in 'challenging' river conditions.

Police were called to the River Conwy in Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, North Wales, at about 3.30pm yesterday.

The body was recovered from the water near the Fairy Glen Hotel.

A spokesman for North Wales Police said: 'The investigation is still ongoing and the next of kin have yet to be informed.

'Emergency services would like to advise all watersports people visiting the area that the rivers in the vicinity are very full and conditions are challenging.Caution should be exercised

'We don't want to risk twisted ankles or people falling, so for safety's sake, we are going to restrict the course to the 5k that the council is kindly able to clear for us.'

Nearly 5,680 women are due to take part in the Bournemouth events, 700 of them in the 10k.

Emergency services have reported that a number of other trees and power lines have come down today, elsewhere in the country.

In Plymouth, Devon, a tree was uprooted and sent crashing down into a family home by heavy winds around 8am Saturday.

A window was smashed and railings damaged, but miraculously no one was hurt.

Heavy rain fell yesterday in the country's west, along with Wales and Northern Ireland.

Forecaster Brendan Jones said today would be calmer but the bad weather would return by the evening.

'It will be a better day, winds will be a lot lighter before going downhill tonight when there is a going to be heavy rain and the chance of some flooding in the south east corner,' Mr Jones said.

'There could be 20-30mm of rain in just a few hours.'

Lucky escape: The occupants of this house in Plymouth escaped unhurt when a large tree came down in high winds and smashed into their home

Lucky escape: The occupants of this house in Plymouth escaped unhurt when a large tree came down in high winds and smashed into their home

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

i was on a motorbike earlier so i know how bad the wind was, hope the little lads are ok

I think the wind might have been gusting even stronger than 56mph in the locality. At the time this accident happened I was in a Supermarket car park a few miles away at Tolworth and the odd burst of wind was very strong. I opened the hatchback of my car only to have the wind rip it from my hands and a lady two car spaces away was having the same problem. My husband was returning the trolley and it was all he could do to stay upright and he is a big strong chap. Then the wind dropped suddenly and the car hatchback was quite easy to close and people started moving as normal across the car park. Driving along the A3 which goes up near this area it was a battle sometimes to keep the wind from taking the car. I know practice nets are supposed to minimise any danger but I am suprised this facility was open at all in such high winds because apart from the risk from the old trees no way would you have been able to control a cricket ball's trajectory.

We were driving through Snowdonia last night in pouring rain - pretty scary stuff, A5 is not very welcoming at night in rain and fog. We took a quick detour back to A55 as we were worried to get stuck in floods, water was coming down like a fall. Hope the boys get well soon.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Tragic , we live just opposite ! Horrific sickening thud and all hell broke loose, lovely little boys playing cricket on windy sunny afternoon, The tree fell right where they were ! The tree was rotten at the roots you could see that. They were airlifted by air ambulance, God bless them and their poor parents, their little lives may never be the same again.

I hope these little children recover fast

Thank God no one was hurt in the other incident! Praying for all three boys, especially the two with head injuries, and for their poor parents. Keep strong.

Yes, there are quite a few branches down where I live in Putney SW London. The wind was very high today, so high in fact I did not stay out for long.

thinking of the little lads...such a tragedy for their families.

I hope they get well soon and recover from the injuries - bless them.

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