Heart-stopping moment hero saves three-year-old and driver trapped in sinking car amid Storm Henk chaos by smashing window, tying vehicle to bridge then lifting them to safety

A hero rescuer saved a three-year-old child from a car alongside its adult driver as it was sinking amid floodwater from Storm Henk by clambering across a bridge and lifting them to safety.

Liam Stych saw the car was trapped in floodwater on Tuesday in Hall Green, Birmingham, and bravely entered the depths before smashing a window to help the pair while on a walk with his partner.

It comes as the UK was battered by wind and rain overnight, with 300 flood warnings in place across England and Wales. One person is confirmed to have died in the storm after their car was crushed by a tree. 

He miraculously managed to access the car via a footbridge as it drifted towards it before pulling the infant out of the back seat and to safety. 

Video of the incident shared online showed the couple trying to help the trapped pair, with the driver frantically shouting they had their three-year-old daughter in the back of the car. 

As the desperate woman grabbed her daughter and handed her out the window, the person filming the video, understood to be Mr Stych's partner, rushed forward to take her from her partner's arms and put her on dry land. 

The young girl could be heard crying and calling for her mother.

Tia, Mr Stych's partner, told her: 'Mummy's fine look, mummy's fine'.

Mr Stych described himself as a human being with good instincts but told the BBC he was not a hero. 

Upon seeing the unfolding nightmare, he told the driver: 'Now's your time, take my hand and we can go.'

He continued: 'At that moment she just put her arms out to me for help. I don't know how we did it, but we sort of jumped in a way that we made it on to the grass.'

Video footage shows Mr Stych using the bridge railing to scramble across to the white car where the woman was calling for help. 

His partner Tia, who is five months pregnant, told the BBC she had also tried to help  before Mr Stych waded in.

'The car was going with the current,' she said. 'It was just scary.'

The video emerged after it was confirmed on Wednesday that a man in his 50s had died after a tree fell on the car he was driving in Gloucestershire on Tuesday during strong winds and heavy rain.

The storm has caused chaos throughout the UK and left tens of thousands of homes without power.

Transport is seeing severe delays on Wednesday as train services get back on track after rain and strong winds from Storm Henk lashed large parts of the UK.

More than 300 flood warnings were in place across England and Wales on Wednesday morning, while 10,000 homes remained without power.

The UK's rail network was hit by flooding and power cuts on Tuesday afternoon, with many operators reporting ongoing issues for the morning commute.

National Highways said several major roads in England are closed.

They include the A21 in East Sussex between the A2100 (near Johns Cross) and the A28 (near Baldslow) because a fallen tree is resting on power cables above the road.

Flooding has closed the A52 in Nottinghamshire westbound from the A60 (Nottingham Knight roundabout) to the A606 (Edwalton), and the A1 in Lincolnshire northbound from the A52 (Grantham) to the B6326 (near Newark).

National Highways said: 'With more rain expected in many areas throughout the day, it is anticipated that the roads will remain closed for several hours.'

A severe flood alert, meaning danger to life, was in place for the River Nene in Northampton, which warned of deep and fast-flowing water at the Billing Aquadrome holiday park and nearby business parks.

A total of 330 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, were also in place across England.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had received 140 flood-related calls in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Leicestershire Police said a large number of homes were being affected by flooding in Loughborough, with police closing Belton Road from the junction of Jubilee Drive to Meadow Lane and A426 Lutterworth Road from Little Glen Road To Leicester Road Roundabout in Blaby.

In Wales there was one severe flood warning in place for the River Ritec in Tenby, 11 flood warnings and 38 flood alerts, according to Natural Resources Wales.

The Energy Networks Association - which collates data from all energy providers - estimated that 10,000 customers were without power on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, a woman was injured by a falling tree in Orpington as high winds hit.

The Metropolitan Police were called at 3.14pm to reports that a woman had been struck by a tree in Station Approach. Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The strongest gales were recorded at the Needles Old Battery in the Isle of Wight, where wind speeds reached 94mph.

Gusts of 81mph were reached at Exeter Airport in Devon, and top winds hit 71mph at the Isle of Portland in Dorset and also at Mumbles Head in Glamorgan.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service was called out to The Ford in Kenilworth to rescue a motorist who got stuck trying to drive through flood water.

In Greenwich, south-east London, a large panel of scaffolding fell from either side of a building on Creek Road due to the heavy winds.

Marketing manager Josh Hargreaves, 30, told the PA news agency that he and his boyfriend had watched the scaffolding 'pretty much swaying in the wind' before falling from the front of the building at around 3.40pm.

Then, an hour later, scaffolding fell from the back of the building as well.