UPDATED PHOTOS: Sussex Councils Warn Of Danger And Disruption As Storm Ciaran Batters The South

Councils in Sussex have warned residents that strong winds from Storm Ciaran today, could present travel disruption and a danger to life.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for high winds in Brighton & Hove and across East and West Sussex.

Wind speeds in Brighton & Hove are currently (7am) showing 56mph, with speeds in Hastings at 69mph and Chichester currently 40mph.

Many roads are blocked by fallen trees and motorists are being advised not to travel if at all possible.

A man tackles a fallen down tree on the A272 in Ansty, Bolney, East Sussex

There are several power outages in rural East Sussex, according to the UK Power Network's website, with 600 homes believed to be without power between Firle and East Hoathley, 700 in Alfriston, Jeavington and East Polegate and 800 between Hellingly and Hurstmoncieux. 

The bad weather is also affecting Southern and South Eastern rail services with delays and cancellations Passengers are advised not to travel before 9am at the earliest. 

Several schools have announced later opening times in order to allow students and staff to travel in safely, including Peacehaven Community School, Bexhill Academy and Robertsbridge Community College - among others.

Most of the piers in the region will also be closed today.

Local councils are advising residents 'to minimise the risk to yourself, others and your property during the storm'. 

Hove seafront

Brighton & Hove City Council issued the following advice:

Check you have what you need so you don’t need to go out in the worst weather. Make sure any vulnerable family or neighbours are safe. Prepare for potential power outages, charge devices, and keep essential supplies handy.

Close and securely fasten doors and windows and secure loose objects such as garden furniture and bins. Rubbish, recycling and garden waste 

Consider your travel plans due to potential road and rail network disruption. Avoid unnecessary travel and stay safe. If possible, consider working from home.

As winds intensify, it's crucial to stay away from the seafront. High tides and strong waves are extremely dangerous. Avoid parks, woodland and open spaces, particularly areas where there is a danger of falling trees.

Council Leader Councillor Bella Sankey says: 

“In Brighton & Hove we are advised that the wind is going to be the biggest problem. If it gets up to the highest forecast speeds, there is a very real danger that many of our trees will come down.

“This makes for a potentially dangerous environment with disruptions to service and transport expected.

“We’re doing what we can to make sure the city is as prepared as it can be for the storm. Please make sure you are safe, your property is secure and check in with any vulnerable neighbours to make sure they have what they need."

Read more from the Met Office about staying safe in a storm.

For the latest information, including changes to services and how to report flooding, fallen trees and other hazards, visit our webpage.

• STORM CIARAN - A23 collision.
• STORM CIARAN - A23 collision.
• STORM CIARAN, Bognor
• STORM CIARAN,
• STORM CIARAN, Bognor
• STORM CIARAN Ansty
• STORM CIARAN SUSSEX
• STORM CIARAN SUSSEX
• STORM CIARAN Ansty
• STORM CIARAN SUSSEX
• STORM CIARAN Worthing
• STORM CIARAN SUSSEX 22
• STORM CIARAN Worthing
• STORM CIARAN Worthing
• STORM CIARAN Worthing
• STORM CIARAN Worthing
• STORM CIARAN Worthing
• STORM CIARAN SUSSEX

Previous image Next image

1 of 18

Previous image Next image

More Galleries

Crawley stabbing

Portable Open House

Villagers meet with police in Barnham

STORM CIARAN - A23 collision.

Share

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Messenger
• Share on X

West Sussex County Council has issued the following notices:

Day Opportunity Services
Due to adverse weather conditions all West Sussex County Council Day Opportunity Services will be closed on Thursday 2 November 2023. If you need to contact us please email Provider.Services@westsussex.gov.uk

Family Hubs
Due to adverse weather conditions our 12 Family Hubs across West Sussex will be closed on Thursday 2 November 2023. If you need to contact us please email WSChildrenServices@westsussex.gov.uk or telephone 01403 229900.

Schools
Some schools may take the decision to close as a result of the severe weather. Your child’s school should let you know if they are affected. We will update our webpage with information on closures as we receive details from schools. Find a school, academy or college - West Sussex County Council.

School Crossing Patrols:

Due to safety concerns, no school crossing patrol staff will be on site tomorrow (Thursday 2nd November) to assist with road crossings. Please ensure that your children have adequate supervision should they need to cross a road where a crossing attendant is normally situated.

Travel information

Please only travel when necessary. If you must travel and encounter flood water or heavy rain, please follow the advice from the AA

How to drive through floodwater and heavy rain | The AA

Our Highways teams are ready to respond to the increased number of issues we expect to be caused by the storm over the coming days. We have paused some non-essential maintenance to increase the number of team members we have available to respond to safety issues. We also have tree surgeons and gully trucks on standby to deal with fallen trees and flooding to keep the county’s roads clear.

We have formed an emergency operations hub to co-ordinate our response and WSCC Highways teams will be working extended hours with our Highway Officers deployed to make on the ground assessments to ensure we direct resources to the most urgent issues across the network.

We ask members of the public to ensure that they are only calling to report emergency issues during this period to enable our teams to focus on immediate safety issues on the network. We anticipate that there will be a number of roads that need to be closed to enable us to tackle safety issues during this period and we would ask that people please bear with us and if they need to travel they use diversion routes. You can keep up to date with road closures on X @WSHhighways

• Roadworks information is provided via one.network
• Access to live bus times is available from our Real Time Bus Information website
• Train information (live departures and arrivals) is available from National Rail Enquiries.

West Sussex road closures

Please refer to https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/campaigns/severe-weather-update/#2 .

More when we have it.