Atherstone warned to beware 'the menace' of rogue traders after Storm Dennis

Storm Dennis will not be the only menace threatening the weekend 'chill' factor for Atherstone and district folk.

Residents have been warned to beware of rogue traders taking advantage of damaged roofs, fences and fallen trees after the expected high winds have passed.

Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards says they can appear "both charming and extremely plausible" on the doorstep, but their work is of a poor quality and sometimes they will take money for materials and simply disappear.

Community Safety County Councillor Andy Crump said: "It can be tempting to employ the first person who comes to your door offering to fix that broken fence or loose roof tile.

"However, it can be hard to tell a good trader from a rogue on the doorstep."

As dawn broke on Saturday, Atherstone can expect more than 24 hours of continuous rain from 11am until midday on Sunday, according to the Met Office.

Today will see the heaviest rain between 3pm and 6pm with strong to gale force winds blowing at more than 50mph – with the potential to cause more damage than Storm Ciara last weekend.

Tomorrow the heaviest rain is forecast between 6am and midday with winds again hovering around 50mph, and feeling like sub-zero temperatures (up to -3C).

Police are also expecting a higher-than-normal volume of calls and have asked the public to be patient if someone needs to call for assistance, remembering reporting of non-emergency incidents can be done online.

"Stay safe all, we think it sounds like a duvet day," Warwickshire Police tweeted.

Footnote: If you are worried about the risk of flooding, the Environment Agency has suggested signing up for the 'prepare, act, survive steps' of its warning service to be found at https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings