Storms wreak havoc around county (From Western Telegraph)

Storms wreak havoc around county

GALE FORCE winds, driving rain and high tides caused havoc in Pembrokeshire during a stormy week.

Emergency services, county council and Environment Agency staff were kept at full stretch responding to call-outs.

From Thursday to Monday, 40 council workmen issued 1,000 sandbags. Ferries were cancelled, two schools were shut, roads and bridges closed, properties flooded or damaged and cars stranded.

The 1,400-pupil Greenhill School, Tenby, was closed on Friday and Monday after engineers became concerned that high winds might damage windows on the south side of the building.

Pupils were moved to other parts of the school while waiting for buses and transport.

County council spokesman David Thomas said: Only the top floor was affected and temporary repairs to window frames have been carried out. Permanent work will be done during half-term.

Tredafydd School, in Fishguard, was closed after the approach road was flooded.

Firefighters were also kept busy as flood water hit Jewson, Wern Road and other parts of Fishguard.

Winds of 56 knots caused the Cleddau Bridge to be closed to high-sided vehicles on Friday. Bridge engineers monitored the situation carefully, ready to close the entire bridge if the wind speed reached 61 knots.

High-sided vehicles - anything larger than a Land Rover - were warned not to use the bridge at 9.40 am and told to find an alternative route. Unfortunately, the bridge at Carew was also closed due to flooding, forcing many drivers to travel via Kilgetty.

The closure comes just before a new weather monitoring system is scheduled to come on-line. The system will allow more accurate wind speed measurements to be taken from the middle rather than the ends of the bridge.

Roads at Newgale and Amroth were blocked on Friday morning after raging seas breached defences. County council employees worked hard to clear the roads there.

The Promenade at Neyland was closed for a time and at Gellyswick, Milford Haven, four people had to be rescued by emergency services from their car. They ignored a road block and the vehicle became submerged after sea water crashed over the seafront wall.

A dangerous chimney in Narberths Halkon Crescent was made safe by the towns firefighters on Friday morning and Haverfordwest fireman tackled an unsafe structure at the Wolfscastle Hotel. Scaffolding fell into the road at Fleming Way, Neyland, there were concerns about part of the roof at Haverfordwests Tesco and trees came down across the Haverfordwest to Milford Haven railway line, as well as at Mathry, Letterston, Puncheston and Troopers Inn.

Council engineers were also called to Dennis Cafe at Castle Beach Tenby when gales caused minor structural damage.