HIGH winds caused two roofs to come down last night as stormy weather battered Basingstoke.

Firefighters from Basingstoke fire station attended an incident in Bow Drive, Sherfield-on-Loddon, at 1.17am, where a roof had come off a row of garages.

Crew manager John Clarke said: “It was such an unsafe structure there was brick work still attached. We couldn’t do anything without putting ourselves in danger. Hampshire Constabulary cordoned off the area and kept everyone inside.”

Later during the night, the fire crew was called to Brewer Close, South Ham, where another garage roof had blown off.

Firefighters arrived at 4.10am to find the roof had ripped the tiles off a house before landing on a car.

Mr Clarke said: “All we could do was make it safe.”

The storms also brought down trees, including one in Timberlake Road, while residents in Black Dam suffered a power cut.

Mr Clarke said last night was one of the busiest for call-outs that the service had ever experienced.

Earlier in the evening firefighters helped evacuate residents in Buckskin, in Prescelly Close, Quantock Close and Grampian Way.