POLICE are seeking a driver who allegedly shunted another car from behind, causing it to crash down the embankment near Gibraltar Tunnels in Monmouth, before driving away.

The drama began just after midday last Saturday when a black car, which may have been a Ford Focus or Fiesta, is said to have hit a green Vauxhall Agila from behind, shunting it off the road, where it crashed down the embankment into trees. The car came to rest close to the swollen River Monnow.

The driver of the black car, which was driven by a man said to be between 20 and 30, is reported to have driven away from the scene of the accident, and turned left into Monmouth town.

The Agila, driven by a man in his 50s, with a woman in the front passenger seat, and two children aged seven and 14 in the back, was badly damaged in the accident. The air ambulance took the woman to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where she was treated for what are described as 'serious leg injuries'. The other occupants of the car were taken to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny with minor injuries.

Police then closed the northbound carriageways of the A40 for several hours and redirected traffic, including large HGVs and coaches, through the centre of Monmouth. This caused immediate problems on Monnow Street and long delays for drivers on the approaches to Monmouth on the A40.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may know of the identity of the driver of the black car, is asked to contact Gwent police on 101, quoting log 300 of 15/2/14.

•Meanwhile, just three miles away, some drivers in Redbrook 'miraculously' escaped unscathed when a large oak tree fell onto the main road. Diversions were set up through Newland, although flooding there caused further delays to drivers.

Also in Redbrook, another tree, a Leylandii, has crashed into a house by the old railway station.

As the Review went to press numerous sightings of fallen trees throughout the Forest and Wye Valley have been reported, a result of the high winds over recent days, and saturated ground.