Portsmouth battered by Storm Austen as trees fall, shops close and roads flood
Portsmouth area affected by strong winds and heavy rain
It has been a day of disruption of Storm Austen batters Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.
The first storm of the season brought heavy rain and strong winds on Friday, October 23 with shops forced to close, roads flooded and trees falling down across the area.
A yellow weather warning was in place from 10pm on Thursday through to 5pm on Friday throughout Hampshire with gusts of 60mph along the south coast.
A tree fell on a person on Leigh Road in Havant just before 1pm resulting in a large emergency service response. An eye witness told The News they saw blankets around the tree and a number of paramedics. Police confirmed that a person was treated for a serious injury to their ankle.
Fallen trees were a recurring issue across the area with further incidents taking place on Hipley Road near Denmead, while a tree blocked the entrance to the Rowans Hospice in Purbrook.
The strong winds and heavy rain also saw shops close in Portsmouth due to leaks and flooding. TG Jones in Palmerston Road, and Curry’s in Ocean Retail Park, Burrfields Road was forced to close their doors due to leaks with pictures revealing the extent of the damage at the electronics store. M&S on Burrfields Road was also affected.
Springfield School in Drayton closed due to “worsening flooding” on the school site as they sought to keep pupils safe.
Events were also cancelled across the region with Hayling Island’s Funland Fright Night proactively postponing the event due to the forecast while the Oktoberfest event in Gunwharf Quays was also cancelled due to the conditions.
Storm Austen is coming to an end but Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned the country that it could face a “winter of greater flooding” with another named storm hot on Austen’s heels expected to affect areas on the north.
While there are currently no weather warnings for Portsmouth and Hampshire over the weekend, heavy rain is forecast to continue into Saturday, October 24.