South Tyneside to be hit by strong winds again tonight - council puts teams on call as 55mph set to blast through borough just days after Storm Arwen

Winds of up to 55mph are forecast across the region later tonight and into the early hours of tomorrow morning.

While no new severe weather warnings have been issued, South Tyneside Council chiefs say trees and structures may be more vulnerable following last weekend’s storm.

Cllr Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council, said the authority has teams on call as a precautionary measure.

“We’re monitoring the situation closely and we have plans in place if the situation escalates,” she said.

“This forecast would not normally invoke a severe weather warning, however trees and buildings may be weakened in the wake of Storm Arwen.

“With that in mind, we’d urge people to be cautious and again, to look out for one another.

“Our absolute priority is keeping residents safe, and we’ll continue to keep them updated.”

Meanwhile, the extensive clean-up operation is ongoing across the borough, with incidents being dealt with in priority order.

The council has received reports relating to trees at 337 locations. Assessments have been carried out at 162 sites in the high priority category, with 90 trees having been removed or made safe. On-site assessments will continue for several days.

More than 50 incidents of significant structural damage have been reported to the Building Control Team. Reports continue to increase, and assessments will continue throughout the week.

Haven Point in South Shields is closed due to storm damage to the roof and will remain so for some time. It is anticipated that the Leisure Pool will remain closed for the rest of the week with pre-planned works of the slides due to take place next week.

A number of road closures remain in place across the Borough, to address significant safety concerns and to allow the clean-up of debris by limiting through traffic. Diversions are in place with local access permitted.

A closure at Station Road, East Boldon, requires the assessment of live electricity cables by Northern Powergrid, who are prioritising 27,000 residents who are still without power.

Trow Quarry car park is also closed, due to an accumulation of sand on the access road. Crews will clear this over the coming days.

A full list of road closures can be found at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/stormarwen which will be updated periodically with the latest information available.

Incidents can be reported via the Customer Contact Centre number 0191 427 7000 or [email protected] which is open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6.30pm.

The public can also use www.southtyneside.gov.uk/reportit to report incidents

The council’s Out of Hours contact number is 0191 455 6111

School closures will be posted on the council website at www.southyneside.gov.uk/schoolclosures

For more information, please follow Council social media feeds or visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/stormarwen

For up-to-the-minute public transport information visit www.nexus.org.uk

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