Motorists in St Albans have been warned of road closures after heavy rain overnight brought down many trees and flooded several locations.

A spokeswoman for Ringway, which maintains the highways on behalf of Herts county council, said that closures are in place for Colney Heath Lane and two lanes of the A414 (North Orbital Road) in London Colney - one lane in each direction.

A spokeswoman for Herts Police said officers were kept extremely busy helping motorists and, on many occasions, clearing trees from roads to keep traffic flowing during severe weather.

Incidents included a tree falling onto the cab of a lorry travelling along the North Orbital Road at 11.34pm yesterday (23). The driver escaped injury.

In Bricket Wood police officers cleared branches from Smug Oak Lane at 2.14am today.

Also at around that time, in Watling Street, Park Street, officers tried to clear a fallen tree, but had to call Ringway for help.

The highways firm also had to clear a tree which fell onto Station Road in Bricket Wood at around midnight, as it was in a dangerous location, on a bend in the road.

Police and fire services went to the rescue of the driver of a vehicle stranded by flooding at about 5am today, on Colney Heath Lane - water had reached the top of the car’s tyres.

There were also four collisions within that location, but no injuries.

Elsewhere in St Albans, fallen trees had to be removed from Sandpit Lane, Redbourn Road, Sandridge Road and other streets.

In Harpenden, at about 1am today on Lower Luton Road, a tree partly fell onto wires and a building.

Wheathampstead’s Hill Dyke Road was blocked after three trees fell down at 7.27am.

Drivers of two cars escaped injury when they collided with a fallen tree in separate incidents, at Park Street Lane at 2.24am and 6.50am. The police spokeswoman said the tree was about three feet in diameter.

Simon Lincoln, crew commander for the white watch at St Albans fire station, said crews were also kept busy overnight, mainly attending incidents outside of this district.

However they were called to the Quadrant shops in Marshalswick just after 9am today, after there were reports of guttering torn away from a shop during gales overnight.

Firefighters had to use a 13.5m ladder to remove the guttering, as it was hanging loose, about 15m above passersby.