Norfolk gales: Power cuts hit thousands of homes
- Published
A tree blocks the A1075 at Breckles near Thetford, tangling up live cables
More than 4,000 homes in Norfolk are still without power after severe gales blasted the east of England.
Gusts of up to 83mph (134km/h) saw trees blown over, causing problems for motorists and disrupting rail services.
The county council said its teams cleared more than 100 trees from roads - compared with 35 downed during Storm Aileen in September.
Power cuts and wind damage also led to the closure of 29 schools, external across the county.
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The storm struck in the early hours of the morning.
At its peak 32,000 homes in Norfolk were without power, with 40 fallen trees reported on roads by 05:30 GMT alone.
East of England battered by high winds
UK Power Networks engineers are out trying to restore power to thousands of homes
More than 100 members of the county council's highways team worked to clear roads, with crews from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.
A tree is uprooted in The Close, Brundall
The A1075 at Breckles, near Thetford, remains closed after a large tree fell on to the carriageway trapping live power cables in its branches.
Martin Wilby, chairman of the council's environment, development and transport committee, said: "This has been a really demanding day for our highways team, but they've absolutely risen to the challenge, getting out swiftly to reports of trees blocking roads in pretty treacherous conditions, particularly early on.
"The majority of Norfolk's roads will be reopened and safely passable by the evening rush hour, which is a fantastic effort by our staff and contractors."
A tree blew down in Chapelfield Gardens, Norwich
The fire service also experienced a huge surge in the number of callouts between 05:00 and 10:00, where fallen cables had started fires. They also attended three road traffic collisions.
Norfolk police's control room confirmed it had received more than 300 emergency calls specifically related to the strong winds since 05:00 GMT.
Train operator Greater Anglia said there was major disruption to the Norwich to London railway line and other rail services across the county.
Spokesman Jonathan Denby said: "This is one of the most severe incidents we've seen in a number of years. It is very tough when you get this kind of weather."
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One tree blocked Oak Street in Norwich
- Published18 January 2018
- Published18 January 2018
- Published18 January 2018
- Published18 January 2018
