There has been traffic chaos in west Hull this morning following an accident in which a motorcycle rider suffered serious injuries.

The crash happened on Spring Bank West at around 8.30am involving the motorcycle and a silver Ford Zetec.

There were significant traffic delays around the area extending to Calvert Lane and Willerby Road.

It isn't known when the road will reopen and diversions are via Calvert Lane and Anlaby Road.

THE developers behind a new Cottingham supermarket are removing Japanese knotweed after it was reported nearby.

The plant, which was grown by Victorians along railway embankments to bind them together, can strip apart foundations and concrete.

Removing it is a time-consuming, expensive and specialised job.

Now, crops have been spotted near the site of a new supermarket in Station Road.

Lena Slater, East Riding councillor for Cottingham South, said: "There have been somewhere between five and seven different identifications of Japanese knotweed in Station Road.

"You have to use specialists and send it to specialist sites to get rid of it because it's so resilient.

"Once it starts, it will grow through concrete."

The plant spreads through root growth, not by seed, so it only becomes a problem if it needs to be moved.

Cllr Slater said there was no need for families living nearby to be concerned but the Environment Agency has been asked to investigate.

She said: "We have to be sensible about it. We don't want everybody in the area running scared, but we have informed the Environment Agency.

"We're hoping they will come and look at it and deal with it properly.

"It's a plant people think is more dangerous than it actually is, because you can get rid of it."

Simon Dixon, of supermarket developer Innovating Space, said the plant had been known about for some time and was mentioned in his company's ecological report."

A firm has already been commissioned to remove it before work starts on the supermarket.

Planning permission was granted more than a year ago but builders have not yet moved in.

It attracted stiff opposition at the time from some villagers, who were concerned independent trade would suffer and traffic would increase.

Almost 1,000 people signed a petition against the supermarket and hundreds of homeowners also wrote to East Riding Council with objections, raising concerns about flood risks, traffic jams, wildlife and litter.

The £20m building is expected to create up to 250 jobs in the village.

Surveys by Innovating Space suggested most families supported it.

The Mail understands the detail is still being finalised on who will take over the new supermarket before construction work begins.

• The destructive bamboo-like plant has been sprouting across the country in recent years and the Government estimates it would take £1.5billion to clear the infestation. It can grow more than 9ft in just ten weeks, and easily spreads from neighbouring homes, wasteland, waterways, railway lines or footpaths. Its extensive deep roots can penetrate roads, concrete, damage foundations and drains. Small building societies such as Skipton and Leeds will decline mortgage applications on properties where Japanese knotweed is present. Others such as Barclays Bank, which also owns the Woolwich, and Santander, will decline them unless work is undertaken to remove it. While those such as Northern Rock, Clydesdale and Nationwide will consider it with guarantees or an indemnity in place, and guidance from a surveyor.

• The Humber Estuary from Hessle Haven to Faxfleet

• The Humber Estuary from Faxfleet to Saltmarshe

• The North Sea Coast from Mappleton to Spurn Point

• The Humber Estuary from Lords Clough to Hessle Haven, including the river frontage in Hull

• The North Sea coast from Barmston to Mappleton, including Hornsea

• The North Sea coast from Bridlington to Barmston

• The North Sea coast from Whitby to Filey, including Scarborough

• Around 4,000 homes in East Yorkshire have lost power due to the high winds.The worst affected areas have been Driffield, Bridlington, Nafferton, Skipsea, Hornsea, Shiptonthorpe, Pocklington, Hunmanby, Market Weighton, Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Goole, Brough, Sandholme, Gilberdyke and Newport.A spokesman for Northern Powergrid said: "Our engineers continue to work as hard as possible to restore power to customers hit by today's storm."

• A road was closed in east Hull after a roof was blown off and material was strewn into the street.The gable ends and roof of Humber Galvanising in Citadel Way caused extensive damage to the building earlier today. Police and fire services were called at 2.30pm and the road was closed to protect people from roofing material which was blowing into the road. The fire service helped secure the area and left the scene at 3.30pm

• East Riding Council's forestry team has had eight crews in operation acalled out to 64 incidents of downed trees, with two affecting the A1079 at Bishop Burton and the A164 near Beswick

• Sydney Smith Primary School in west Hull has been closed due to structural damage caused by the high winds. Cladding from the building has been blown off which staff felt could endanger the children. Pupils and staff were sent home at lunch time and the school will remain closed tomorrow. It should reopen on Monday

• Hornsea School and Language College closed to pupils at lunchtime today. The closure came into force after staff noticed tiles being blown off the roof on some of the site's older buildings. The school's community partnership co-ordinator Sally Richardson said: "We were concerned for the safety and welfare of the students and decided to send them home. Staff are still working in the school though. We're hoping that the winds die down by tomorrow and the students can return to school."

• Newbald Primary School has closed as electricity supply failed in the village

• Part of an industrial building collapsed off Clough Road, Hull sending huge chunks of brickwork and masonry onto two cars parked below.

• The Humber Bridge is now open to all traffic but there is a 30mph speed restriction in place

• The Ouse Bridge on the M62 near Goole was closed in both directions after a lorry overturned. Diversions were in place

• Natalie Hardy (Press Officer) for P&O Ferries said the departure of the Pride of York has been delayed until 10pm (from 7pm) at the moment. She said: "Because of the high water and winds and flood warnings, the lock has been closed meaning the boats can't move off. Only our Pride of York has been affected, it was scheduled to leave at 7pm but we are new expecting it to depart at 10pm, once the lock has been reopened. Passengers will be able to board as normal and use the facilities, so hopefully they won't notice any difference."

• Captain Phil Cowing, Harbour Master Humber, ABP said the Humber pilots had been temporarily suspended. "We have just got a bit of temporary disruption. The winds have got up to 50 knots, which is storm force 10, so in the interests of safety we have temporarily suspended the boarding and landing of Humber pilots. This was put in place at 2.30pm and we expect to lift it later this evening. We are keeping a close eye on things and once the wind and the seas conditions start to settle down ships can start moving again. "There will be slight delays for ships that can only move on high tide as they will miss the afternoon tide and will have to wait for tomorrow morning. This will only affect the big bulk carriers and the smaller ships that go up the Goole and Trent."

• Strong gusts have brought down a tree on the site of The Green Way Academy in north Hull

• High winds blew a tree down at Beverley Minster vicarage in Highgate. Rev Jeremy Fletcher, vicar at the Minster, said the 30ft silver birch came down at 11.15am today. He said: "Someone was close but no one was hurt."

• Beverley Road in Watton was blocked with delays at the Main Street junction because of a fallen tree

• Buttercrambe Road in Stamford Bridge is partially blocked with slow traffic northbound at the A166 junction because of a fallen tree

• The A164 at Leconfield was blocked with very slow traffic in both directions, between the Grange Road junction and the Arram Road junction, because of a fallen tree

• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said Spurn Point would close at 3pm today following bad weather conditions forecast today. It will remain closed to visitors until the situation is reviewed at noon tomorrow

• All train services were suspended on lines east of Selby after 4.30pm

• There are currently no East Coast trains through Doncaster because of damage to the station caused by the wind. East Coast services to and from Leeds are currently suspended. These changes are expected to apply until the afternoon, but may continue depending on the weather conditions.

• Hull Trains say its services are delayed by up to an hour from Hull to London's Kings Cross as trains were running at a reduced speed on all lines. A spokesman said they hoped to resume a normal service as soon as possible but warned cancellations could be made at short notice.

• Humberside Airport cancelled today's KLM1497/8 flight due to the predicted high winds in Amsterdam

• A plane diverted to Newcastle due to strong winds was struck by lightning as it landed at the airport

• A lorry driver has died after his vehicle was blown on top of two cars in West Lothian by high winds which have swept across Scotland

COACH Sylvain Cloutier has told his Hull Stingrays players to "focus on the task ahead" and not get bogged down in the Matt Suderman rumpus.

The club's unhappy captain quit last week, with a departing side-swipe at fans' criticism and Elite League officiating, and went home to Canada, apparently to ponder his future.

However, just two days after leaving Britain, Central Hockey League Brampton Beast announced the 30-year-old defenceman's capture.

Reacting to the Beast's press release, furious Stingrays issued their own statement, insisting they were "surprised to say the least" Suderman had already joined another club.

"I'm just moving on from it, I don't really want to talk about it any more," said a diplomatic Cloutier.

"What has happened has happened, Matt was obviously not happy here.

"He's not the first player in this country to leave a club mid-season, I just want to move on and focus on the task ahead."

That task includes visits to Fife and Edinburgh this weekend.

The Rapid Solicitors Stingrays will have guest import Pavel Gomenyuk in the line-up, after gaining clearance to ice the Ukrainian-born defenceman.

Cloutier is keen to ensure Suderman's departure does not overshadow the team's positive performances in recent weeks.

He added: "Last weekend we played a solid defensive game against Sheffield and then we beat Braehead – the second-placed team – for the third time this season and that was pretty good, but nobody's been talking about that.

"I've told the guys they need to focus on this weekend and get on with it.

"We've got Pasha icing for us this weekend, so we've added another guy back there, and we should have our new import in next week.

"We've got to look ahead not back."

Severe flood warnings were issued late yesterday evening and hundreds of residents were forced to flee their properties as a huge tidal surge topped flood defences.

Gusts of up to 90mph whipped up the North Sea, causing what experts described as a "near perfect storm".

Areas hit hard in Hull by the rising water levels included Victoria Dock. Flood waters reached as far as Ferensway and Anlaby Road.

Hessle Foreshore, Bridlington, Paull and Kilnsea in the East Riding were also badly affected.

Motorists were urged only to travel if absolutely necessary as the A63 and Ferensway – among other routes – were swamped.

There were fears fresh high tides could bring further flooding this morning.

Residents in Victoria Dock were evacuated as the River Humber water level rose.

Chris Boyes, 61, was among those watching and hoping their home would escape unscathed.

He knows all too well the devastation of being flooded out – having suffered in 2007 with his Anlaby Common home.

"We had to move out of the home for nine months," said Mr Boyes. "I feel for anyone whose home has been flooded. It is a nightmare not being able to do anything to protect your home but watch the water and hope."

In Paull, sandbags were handed out and residents desperately checked on their neighbours to make sure everyone was safe.

Stephen Dunham said: "I was at work when I got the call. In 2007, I was about an inch off being flooded out. My next-door neighbour got hit. The river is a different thing and it is a concern. All we can do is watch."

Earlier in the day, tragedy was only narrowly avoided when strong winds caused a building in west Hull to collapse on two cars.

Schools were forced to close and 4,000 homes lost power.

Dozens of trees fell onto roads and the Humber Bridge was closed to all traffic – only the third time it has had to do so in its 32-year history.

The Environment Agency began lowering Hull's tidal barrier at 4pm and the operation was completed by 4.30pm.

The Hull tidal barrier was thought to be holding back a surge of 2m of tidal water, which could have affected thousands of homes in Hull. The water was only a few feet from breaching the barrier by 8pm.

A MAN has been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a bus in Hull city centre.

The accident happened shortly after 1.30pm in Ferensway, at the Portland Place junction.

The victim was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary for treatment.

The bus involved in the accident was a single-decker, operated by Stagecoach.

A spokesman for Stagecoach said: "Our first thoughts are for the welfare of the person involved, who has been taken to hospital.

"Safety is our absolute priority. We will assist the police with their inquiries into this incident as well as carrying out our own investigation."

The bus was a number 28, at the beginning of its route between the city centre and Kingswood Retail Park.

There was major disruption to traffic, as the road was closed northbound between Paragon Interchange and Spring Bank, until shortly after 4pm.

There were queues between the Anlaby Road and Freetown Way junctions.

Bus firms have long been calling for changes to be made in the city centre, especially around the entrance to the bus depot between St Stephen's shopping centre and Paragon Interchange, due to the high number of accidents.

Gary Nolan, at the time managing director of Stagecoach, previously told the Mail: "The main aim is to reduce the amount of accidents in the city and we will do everything we can do to try to make that happen.

"All of our drivers are put through full training and are also required to undertake 35 hours of additional training to develop their awareness of driving in the city."

Peter Shipp, chief executive and chairman of East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS), said pedestrians also need to alter their behaviour.

He said: "I'm not talking about this accident specifically, this could have been a pedestrian doing everything they are supposed to.

"However, there are people who cross against the lights and pedestrians and cyclists who go around on mobile phones or listening to iPods and are totally oblivious to what's going on around them. This behaviour can lead to accidents."

He said the city centre was a particular hotspot for accidents simply because of how busy it is. He pointed specifically to the junction between the train station and St Stephen's.

He said: "It's just the sheer number of pedestrians and buses."

Various measures have been brought in to try to deal with the problem, including installing a countdown on the crossing between the station and shopping centre.

However, accidents have still occurred since these were installed last year.

Hull City Council declined to comment on whether any further action was being considered to try to alleviate the problem, saying only that all accidents are fully investigated.

COACH Lee Radford believes new signing Chris Tuson has the intensity his Hull FCside will need to be in the hunt for honours next season.

Tuson has arrived at the Black and Whites with medals around his neck following a successful spell with home-town club Wigan.

Although he's had to play second fiddle to Liam Farrell, Sean O'Loughlin and Harrison Hansen at the Warriors, the second-rower still lifted the Challenge Cup in this year's Wembley final win over Hull.

And Radford says the 25-year-old's hunger to win more silverware is already obvious after some intense sessions in pre-season.

He told the Mail: "Chris is the type of bloke who would be the first out of the trenches and doesn't dip his toe in. If he's doing something, then he's an all-in type of player.

"He already looks like a really good addition to the dressing room and he's proving what a top man he is.

"People will have seen his wholehearted displays when he played for Wigan and he trains exactly the same way he plays.

"That intensity has been great for the group because they can only learn by watching that professionalism and commitment on a daily basis. It's certainly rubbing off on the others."

Having set his sights on being one of Hull's go-to men next season, Tuson has made no secret of his desire to establish himself as a regular starter after 14 starts and 10 appearances as a replacement for Wigan in 2013.

He has already labelled 2014 as 'a massive year' in his development and has begun his time at the Black and Whites by throwing himself into boxing sessions and regular on-field drills.

With Gareth Ellis and Richard Whiting competing against new signing Jordan Thompson and Tuson for a place in the second row, Radford will have some tough decisions to make when the campaign kicks off.

But as a former forward himself, the Hull coach knows Tuson's efforts will only help bring out the best from his squad.

He added: "When you've got someone who is going above and beyond in their training, it forces other players to look over their shoulder and raise their own game.

"As a coach, having a player like Chris is a great thing. It means players can see how high they need to raise their game without the need for me to say it."