FLOODED roads and fallen trees caused travel chaos as Bristol was hit by the stormiest day of the winter.

Gusts of 50mph swept the roof off a lorry travelling on the M5 and led to the closure of the M48 Severn Bridge.

Torrential rain prompted the Environment Agency to issue flood warnings in the Chew Valley as water levels in rivers, brooks and streams swelled.

Forecasters said 19mm of rain fell between 6pm on Monday and noon yesterday – a quarter of the rain Bristol would normally receive in January.

Firefighters rushed to the rescue of a woman in her 40s after she drove through a flooded ford in Chew Stoke yesterday lunchtime.

The woman – who cannot swim – was left terrified when her Vauxhall Nova was swept away in 2ft-deep water and into a tree in School Lane. Environment Agency workers Dave White and Andy Moore waded into the water to pull out the woman, who was not injured.

Flooding led to the blockage of Stockwood Lane, Stockwood, as well as the closure of the B4060 between Wickwar and Kingswood.

Police also closed Castle Street and Park Road in Thornbury due to a fallen tree.

In Elton Road, Bishopston, a tall tree fell into the road and landed between cars at 10am yesterday, narrowly missing three vehicles.

Two lanes of the M5 northbound carriageway between Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater North were closed after the roof of a lorry came off in strong winds.

Avon and Somerset Police said 24 weather-related incidents had been reported between midnight and 10.45am, 19 of them relating to fallen trees.

The Environment Agency issued a flood warning for Winford Brook in Chew Magna and a lower-level flood alert for River Chew from Chew Stoke to Keynsham.

The agency warned that rivers would swell further by the release of water from Chew Magna Reservoir.

Julian Mayes, a forecaster with the Meteo Group, said the weather would be windy and unsettled for the next few days, becoming more settled by the weekend.