Torn off: Roof which blew off a house in Robert Street, Milford Haven, Wednesday.

WIND SPEEDS of almost 94mph were recorded on the Cleddau Bridge, as Pembrokeshire County Council advised people to stay indoors and avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.As the storm bore down on the Pembrokeshire coast, there was chaos across the County as schools were forced to shut, roads blocked and buildings damaged by the force of the weather.

So severe were the winds that Council workmen were unable to remove some of the fallen trees, due to the hazardous conditions.

The Council were forced to close Narberth Castle following damage caused by the weather, while part of a flat roof at Sir Thomas Picton School was ripped off by the Force Twelve winds.

One motorist, crossing the bridge at Carew over an hour and a half before high tide, was shocked by a wave that burst over the top of the structure and struck his vehicle as he crossed.

Martin Jones of Haverfordwest said: “I got through the traffic control and started over the bridge when the water hit the stonework and flew over. I’m glad I was driving a larger car. A smaller one would have been damaged and I might have floated away!”

In Milford Haven, both Robert Street and Charles Street were closed to vehicles following storm damage to properties’ roofs that left debris on the roads.

All rail services travelling west of Llanelli were halted at 2pm on Wednesday afternoon and suspended until 10pm. Services to Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Fishguard Harbour were all affected by the closure.

The A487 road at Newgale was closed as seas became mountainous and threatened the fragile sea defences, which have been breached twice in the past month alone.

The County Council’s website was updated throughout the day with news of hazards to traffic, pedestrians and buildings.

Wrecked: BMW ruined by falling slates in Pembroke. (Drew Buckley Photography)

Council Employees Thanked

Pembrokeshire County Council staff worked hard overnight clearing away fallen trees, debris and roof tiles, in a bid to get traffic moving around the county again today. Highways and area maintenance teams worked until 23:00, starting again at 05:30 this morning, dealing with more than 150 reports of trees, large branches and debris.

The County Council’s contact centre usually receives around 1,100 phone calls on a normal Wednesday. Yesterday it received 3,184 calls – more than 2,000 extra.

There were 150 reports of damage to property, council infrastructure schools, utilities infrastructure and street lights.

At 15:00 there were 26 road closures in place. Council crews also helped deal with eight flooding incidents and two oil spills. A total of 25 schools closed early due to the severe weather. A further nine schools are closed today.

On Tuesday and Wednesday alone, the Council’s Facebook page had more than a thousand new likes, and the Twitter account gained another thousand followers. Comments on Twitter included: ‘Thank you for the constant updates, a job well done’ and ‘fab updates all day, really appreciated’. “Staff across the Council rose to the challenge of the extreme weather yesterday and worked exceptionally hard to try and keep people safe and get the county moving again. I’m sure the people in the county would join me in thanking them for their valued efforts,” said the Leader of the County Council, Councillor Jamie Adams.

“All in all, it was a very busy day for the employees of Pembrokeshire County Council.”