Storm Ciara: Round up of Eastbourne weather chaos

The storm, listed as an amber wind warning by the Met Office, blew trees over, damaged buildings, sparked large ocean waves and caused traffic disruption to trains, planes and cars across Sussex.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said they took 82 calls between 7am yesterday and 7am this morning (Monday).

The majority of the calls, according to ESFRS, were weather-related, as a result of Storm Ciara, and advice was given for 20 of these calls.

One incident saw ESFRS called to Langney Shopping Centre yesterday afternoon. A spokesman said, “At 14.41 yesterday (February 9) a crew was sent to Langney Shopping Centre following reports of a dangerous structure.”

The building’s roof appeared to be damaged and workers were pictured attempting to fix the structure. The shopping centre car park was also a victim of the weather, which saw the wind scatter debris across the site.

Eastbourne Borough Council warned members of the public to stay away from the fire-damaged Claremont Hotel, which today (Monday) saw a large section of its structure collapse, but it has not been confirmed if this was as a result of the weather.

Other incidents, which were reported into the Herald by readers, included felled trees blocking roads.

Rob Escobar sent in a picture of a large felled tree blocking Hardwick Road in both directions. The tree was in the road at around 18.20pm yesterday.

Earlier in the day at around 11.30am a large tree in Carlisle Road was uprooted and crashed into a lamppost, blocking the Meads Road junction. A pick-up truck was on hand to clear the obstruction shortly after the incident.

The extreme gusts also caused havoc at sea as large waves headed towards the promenade throughout the day.