This Is Guernsey

By Gemma Hockey

GUERNSEY was battered by 79mph winds yesterday. The Fire & Rescue Service had more than a dozen calls to secure roofs and deal with fallen trees after severe north-west to west gale force nine winds ripped through the island.

Police had to close Elizabeth Avenue at Admiral Park when the roof of Sidney Vane House threatened to blow off and debris was hurled into the road.

They also advised islanders not to drive unnecessarily and to stay indoors.

‘The south coast has had a fair bit of a battering with quite a lot of trees down and I’m looking at the airport camera but can’t see much because the wind is blowing it around so much,’ said a police spokesman.

A Fire & Rescue Service spokeswoman said it had been inundated with calls.

‘We’ve been extremely busy,’ she said. ‘Most of the call-outs have been to secure roofs or clear fallen trees.’

Firefighters were sent to make safe roofs at Bailiff’s Cross Road, St Andrew’s, stables in Route de la Marette, St Saviour’s, and at a cottage at Le Mont Saint, St Saviour’s.

A Met Office spokesman said the strongest gust was 69 knots (79.4mph) at 9.40am yesterday.

‘The highest wind today ‘Sunday’ has been a force nine (44 knots) with a gust of 69 knots, force 12, at 9.40 this morning.

‘The forecast from Jersey Met Office is for the wind to gradually die down during tomorrow and be between force two and four until Thursday at least,’ he said.

The terminal building at the airport was damaged.

‘Cladding was damaged so we had to close down two of the stands where the aircraft park first thing this morning,’ said airport director Colin Le Ray yesterday.

He said flights had not been affected too much by the closure of the stands because many had already been cancelled or delayed due to the weather.

‘There were certainly no flights up to Alderney,’ he said.

‘The Southampton flight was definitely delayed and there were no inter-island flights in the morning.’ Most flights to the Jersey were able to operate later, but there were none to Alderney although one of today’s early ones did.

‘We will stay open as long as we can to make sure those flights can land,’ he said.