With severe weather predicted through till Saturday, Bournemouth Council will be busy cleaning up the remnants of the storms, securing any dangerous or fallen trees and, most importantly, ensuring that highways and residents are safe.
So far, the Council’s parks tree team has cleared trees on Manor Road and St Leonards Road and have secured a fallen tree in the Bournemouth Gardens. Overnight there were call outs to numerous roads, including Knyveton Road. In the last few hours they have attended a private tree in Lowther Road, which fell into the main road resulting in an accident involving a van. Fernside Road also suffered a fallen private tree which damaged a BT box. The Council is urging any Bournemouth resident who sees a fallen or dangerous tree to alert them immediately.
Today (Wednesday 5 February) the town will see approx 15mm of rainfall, which may mean flood alerts could be issued along the River Stour.On Fridayand Saturday the river levels are forecast to increase due to the accumulation of rainfall over the next few days, so council workers will be monitoring the River Stour closely.
Along the coast, waves are expected to be6metres high. This means that there is a possibility of waves crashing onto promenades and coastal paths at high tide that could put lives at risk. Bournemouth has a high tide forecast for midday today and the flood warning is still in place. People are being advised to take extra care along cliffs and beaches. Landslides often take place after wet weather as there is a delay in the rainwater falling and soaking into the ground. With the continuing wet weather more landslides are expected.
Beach cleaners have also seen flares washed up on the beach over the past few weeks of storms, so the Council is asking residents to take extra care and, if they spot a flare, to please alert the Council immediately.
Finally, with wind gusts reaching 50 miles per hour, residents are also being advised to ensure that once their bins are emptied to please bring them in to avoid them being blown away or causing an obstruction on the pavements or roads.
Tony Williams, Chief Executive at Bournemouth Borough Council, said:
“With weather in Bournemouth predicted to continue to be very stormy over the next few days we urge residents totake extra care and allow more time for travelling. We would advise residents to especially avoid driving through any standing water, steer clear of the rivers in the town and avoid the coastline.
“We have dedicated teams of council staff working closely with emergency services, agency partners and the Environment Agency to deal with any incidents that may affect our residents. From Emergency Planning through Street Services, Social Services, Housing, Seafront, Environmental Health, Building Control to Building Maintenance, there are hundreds of council workers who could be mobilised with well-rehearsed procedures in place in case of any emergencies. If anyone knows of any incidents such as trees fallings, flooding on the road, blocked drains or road diversions please do call us on 01202 451451.”
