Strong winds in Hampshire cause power problems
- Published
Strong winds have caused damage to buildings in Southampton, as well as bringing down trees around Hampshire
Strong winds have caused disruption in Hampshire, including a power cut which affected 1,000 properties in central Southampton.
Southern Electric said power cables blown together caused a substation at Millbrook to trip at 05:40 GMT. Power was restored after a few minutes.
Gusts of up to 70mph battered coastal areas of Hampshire.
Fallen trees have also led to traffic problems as well as delays to flights, ferries and trains.
Witnesses reported seeing a white flash with sparks and flames around a pylon at Southampton docks which led to the power blackout.
A Southern Electric spokesman said there was no risk to the public, but engineers were busy across the region.
About 5,000 households have experienced power cuts in the county manly due to trees falling on power lines.
A 40ft (12m) section of shop front fell on to the pavement in Shirley High Street in Southampton after being dislodged by the wind.
No-one was injured in the incident and police cordoned off the stretch of pavement.
Shop owner Ashley House said: "It's a hell of a shock on our first day back to work.
"It's in a sorry state - it's not nice to see it happen to your own property."
Two roads have been closed in Lee-on-the-Solent due to structural damage caused to buildings.
Rail services between Bournemouth and Southampton were disrupted after a fallen tree blocked all lines at Brockenhurst shortly after 11:00 GMT.
Gusts of up to 70mph during the morning caused trees to fall and block many roads.
Police said they were dealing with "significant traffic problems" around Hampshire.
And Hamble Lane in Southampton was closed as engineers worked to remove a fallen electricity pole. It has now re-opened.
Glass blown from windows
A parked car was seriously damaged when a tree fell on it in Havant. No-one was in the car at the time.
Graddidge Way in a residential area of Totton was blocked when a large pine tree fell across it.
The road outside a Portsmouth University building was closed after glass from windows was blown out in the storm. No-one was hurt when the Mercantile House office block was damaged.
Workmen removed a large pine tree which fell in Totton
Cross-Solent travel services are now running as normal again but ferry and hovercraft services had been temporarily suspended in the morning due to the high winds.
There had also been delays to flight arrivals and departures at Southampton International Airport.
A 40ft yacht, with seven crew on board, on its way from Southampton to London, had to call for coastguard assistance in heavy seas off the Kent coast.
A helicopter and RNLI craft were launched when five crew on Liquid Vortex reported suffering sea sickness and one injured his jaw and ribs after falling on board at about 05:00 GMT.