PRAISE has been given to members of the highway agency, council workers and tree surgeons who worked hard in the days before Christmas to rid Hampshire roads of over 130 fallen trees.

Hampshire County Council’s highways lead Cllr Séan Woodward has thanked council staff and contractors who worked through the night on Monday (December 23) to help residents affected by the blustery gales, flooding and damage caused by trees and bracken.

More than 350 separate incidents were reported to the council with the Met Office declaring that 33.8mm of rainfall had been recorded at Alice Holt Lodge between 6pm on December 23 to 7am on Christmas Eve. Middle Wallop saw 31.6mm of rainfall while the Solent had gusts of up to 74mph.

Cllr Woodward said: “Staff have responded very well indeed, swinging into action in these very difficult conditions with our partner agencies to deal with flooded roads and fallen trees and I commend their efforts.

“With a substantial number of fallen trees reported on both main and minor roads and substantial surface water flooding throughout the county, and with further bad weather forecast for later in the week, our maintenance teams are likely to be very stretched and it will be necessary to prioritise locations. We are gearing up to get additional arboricultural resources ready to keep Hampshire safe and on the move as far as possible. We are also preparing more sandbags to protect highways from flooding, should the need arise.

“I’d advise anyone setting off today to visit families, do last minute shopping or those still having to travel to and from work, to take particular care. Sudden, very heavy downpours can lead to roads and pavements flooding quickly. Please heed any warning signs that are placed on the highway. Do not attempt to use fords and be extra careful driving through any road surface water as it may be difficult to judge its depth.”

To report a problem visit hants.gov.uk/roadproblems or call 0845 6035633.

Advice on flooding can be found at hants.gov.uk/flooding and flood warnings can be found on the Environment Agency website at environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods .