These were the scenes in Burnham-On-Sea this morning (Bank Holiday Monday) after Storm Katie’s 70mph gusts brought a chimney down and left a trail of other damage across the town.
Cross Street was closed by Burnham-On-Sea Police after a chimney stack crashed down at the peak of the early morning storm.
Bricks and masonry were blown down onto the street and pavement, waking startled residents in the surrounding area at around 5am. Police sealed off the pavement with tape, as pictured below, and as a safety precaution asked pedestrians not to walk near the affected area.
Meanwhile, several signs and lamp posts have been damaged along the seafront and a clear-up operation is now underway.
Burnham firefighters were called to make safe the roof of Burnham’s Esso Station in Oxford Street after the wind caused damage, as pictured here.
There was also damage to the roof of Lidl in Burnham’s Oxford Street. Staff blocked off part of the entrance with wooden pallets.
Several trees came down in the area, including this one in Burnham-On-Sea’s Stoddens Lane.
The Met Office had issued a yellow warning for the region as gusts of wind up to 70mph hit the Burnham and Highbridge area. A spokesman said: “An area of low pressure rapidly deepened to the southwest of the UK on Sunday evening and then ran northeastwards into England accompanied by some very strong winds and heavy rain.”
There was further damage in Burnham-On-Sea’s Highburn Close where fencing and a brick wall were damaged, as pictured here.
Meanwhile, Secret World at East Huntspill said it was “very sorry and extremely disappointed” to cancel Monday’s Badger Bonanza open day because of safety concerns. “Overnight, we suffered structural damage to parts of the site, and the parking field is flooded. The continuing threat of high winds means that we cannot guarantee the safety of visitors so we have had to take the decision to close for the day,” said a spokesman.
Numerous fence panels were blown down during the overnight storm, including this large panel that was left in pieces on The Esplanade.
In Highbridge, Michael Pickard sent these images of a damaged tree and fence.
Walkers faced strong winds and blowing sand on Brean beach, as pictured above, as the storm moved through.
A paraglider landing on Burnham-On-Sea beach during the breezy conditions leading up to the storm.
This stunning rainbow formed over Brent Knoll on Easter Sunday in between the heavy showers of rain and periods of sunshine.
