Boy killed saving brother

A boy of 12 has died saving his older brother's life in the worst storm for 12 years.

Christopher Vince and 16-year-old brother Ben were walking the family dog in woods when a tree crashed on to them. Christopher managed to push Ben out of the way - but was unable to save himself.

Ambulance crews and firefighters were joined by a neighbour who tried to rescue the boy by hacking the tree away with a chainsaw, but he was later declared dead in hospital.

With winds gusting up to 90mph, the brothers - who were accompanied by their sister Jessica, 10, and another friend - were approaching the entrance to Green Hills Woods in Costessey, near Norwich, when Christopher saw the tree start to topple and pushed Ben clear. Ben said today: "I want the whole world to know how brave my little brother was.

"We were walking the dog but because of the storm we decided it was a bad idea. We had already seen several trees coming down.

"As we left the woods I remember Christopher shouting 'Look out.' Then he pushed me out of the way and the tree took him and the dog.

"I was walking ahead of him and Christopher had spotted the tree coming down. He ran from behind me and pushed me.

"I think I hit my head on the ground and fell unconscious for a while." Ben said when he came round he was still groggy and told his sister Jessica to run and get help.

"I got up and tried to move the tree but it was too heavy. I looked at Christopher and realised it was too late. I knew then he was dead.

"A few minutes later my mum and dad came and a man from across the road arrived with a chainsaw. He kept saying 'He hasn't made it'."

Ben added: "I escaped with a bruised knee and I just sat in the hospital looking at it, realising Christopher saved my life. It could have been me if it wasn't for him.

"It is as if there is some reason for him saving me and I just need to start looking forward now."

His mother Sandra, 43, said: "What Christopher did was typical of him. He wouldn't have given a thought for himself. "He was a real livewire. He seemed to always have people laughing. He said he always hoped to be a hero." Christopher's father Jonathan, 47, a production planner, said: "He saw the tree fall and saved his brother's life."

The other youngsters escaped unhurt. Border collie Jack was also killed by the impact.

A total of seven people, including two other children, were killed by falling trees and debris as the weekend storm wreaked havoc across England and Wales.

In Felixstowe, Suffolk, a toddler died after suffering head injuries when he was hit by a falling tree as he sat in his pushchair.

A 14-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on the car she was travelling in, on the A41 near Market Drayton in Shropshire. Her mother and sister were seriously injured.

In Whittington, near Downham Market, Norfolk, Eric White, 55, was killed when a tree fell on him as he worked in his garden.

Another man was killed on the A40 at Bwlch, near Brecon, when a large branch fell on his car, and a 22-yearold woman died in Oxford city centreafter an oak fell on her car. Her sisters, aged nine and 13, escaped with minor injuries. An angler, who has not been named, drowned when he was swept off rocks north of Aberdeen.

In mainland Europe, at least another 19 were killed.

Thousands of properties are still without power today in East Anglia, Wales and the West Country, and dozens of minor roads remain blocked by fallen trees and debris.

A spokeswoman for electricity company 24Seven said half of its 200,000 customers in East Anglia who were cut off yesterday still had no power. The firm said it had even called in engineers from France to help out.

Western Power Distribution said about 15,000 homes were still affected in south and west Wales today. Many homes in Exeter, Bodmin and Redruth also remain without power.

In London, the winds caused chaos and widespread damage. A 100ft construction crane was bent in half in the London Wall area of the City, closing nearby roads.

The Natural History Museum narrowly avoided damage when a 40ft tree was blown over. The tree fell on to the museum's perimeter fence, causing huge problems for motorists in Cromwell Road. The Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Thames at Dartford was closed to all traffic, with cars and trucks diverted through the Dartford tunnels.

Amazingly, no one in London was killed. However, Ed Greenacre, 27, from Dalgarno Way in North Kensington, said it was "a miracle" nobody died when a falling tree from a garden damaged a three-storey block of flats.

Mr Greenacre said: "It was incredibly lucky that nobody was walking along the pavement at the time the tree came down. They most certainly would have been killed."

Across the country the winds caused at least £50 million damage, and transport services were thrown into confusion.