A WEATHER warning has been put in place for the Basingstoke area for Thursday and Friday.

The Met Office is warning that gales could develop across the country during Thursday night and into Friday, and could last for much for the day before slowly easing from the west during the afternoon into the evening.

The yellow warning, which advises the public to ‘be aware’, was issued today and covers counties including Hampshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Surrey and West Berkshire.

The Met Office states on its website: “The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to travel and perhaps power supplies.”

Gales with gusts to 50-60mph are expected in the areas covered by the warning.

The Met Office said: “A period of heavy rain may also make for tricky driving conditions at times.”

It added: “This is a very dynamic situation, and details of this development will likely change. As such, this alert will be updated in the coming days as confidence grows in track and timing of this low pressure system.”

Hampshire County Council said it is prepared for wet weather, as many parts of the county are still experiencing high levels of groundwater from last winter’s intense rainfall.

Councillor Sean Woodward, executive member for economy, transport and environment, said: “We’ve drawn on our experiences from last winter, particularly working with partners and how important it is for communities to pull together.

“Communities who were prepared were certainly better able to cope and recover quicker than those without flood action plans in place.

“With over 5,000 miles of roads to look after in Hampshire, it’s important we continue to take an innovative approach to make the most of the resources we have, looking not only at how we manage the network but also how to adapt the environment to the threat of flooding.

“A great deal of work has been done this year to repair the roads damaged by flooding, and I’m pleased to see that Hampshire has come out top of all county councils for residents’ satisfaction with highways maintenance in an independent national survey.”

During severe weather, the council has emergency crews on standby 24 hours a day to ensure the roads are clear and passable.

Thousands of sandbags, held in the council’s highways depots, can be deployed immediately when required.