Storm Eunice impact in Berkshire & North Hampshire

Friday 18th February

LATEST

1755: Reading Borough Council say they hope to repair a statue that collapsed in storm Eunice.

1730: South Western Railways say they can't guarantee there'll be any further trains today - but they say they'll try.

1500: South Central Ambulance have declared a critical incident due to demand caused by the storm.

1455: The A34 is blocked just north of Winchester

1410: Gusts recorded at local military bases:

61 mph at RAF Benson - north of Reading

66 mph at RAF Odiham near Basingstoke

67 mph at AAC Middle Wallop near Andover

1355: South Western Railways say their services are suspended until 1800. They say more than 30 fallen trees are blocking key routes.

1331: A woman has been seriously injured in Henley

12:42 Luckily no one hurt as a tree falls on a property in Crowthorne.

12:35 Wind gusts of 70mph have been recorded at Heathrow Airport, 71mph in High Wycombe and 73mph in Farnborough.

12:10 DO NOT TRAVEL GWR say due to worsening conditions they're now unable to run trains across the majority of their network.

11:46 Services are suspended across the South Western Railway Network. Do not attempt to travel.

11:15 Service suspended on Great Western Railway between Reading and Guildford due to fallen tree on the line.

10:50 A tree is blocking the railway line between Basingstoke and Salisbury at Overton it means the London bound line is blocked. As a result, trains between Salisbury and Basingstoke may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Source: National Rail

SCHOOLS

Reading Borough Council has suggested that all schools in the Reading area close today.

Several other schools around the region are also closing due to the conditions.

HOSPITALS

The Royal Berkshire Hospital is open and services are running as normal. If patients have appointments and feel they can attend safely then we are asking them to do so. If they don’t feel they can attend safely, please let us know and we can rearrange appointments.

ALERT

A rare 'danger to life' RED warning for high winds has been issued by the Met office.

It covers Reading and Basingstoke and all of London and the south-east and is in force from 10 until 3.

The remainder of north west Hampshire and west Berkshire remains in AMBER.

TRAVEL

Hampshire Police have declared a major incident and advised people not to travel.

CLOSED

Country Parks in Hampshire is closed today.

Marwell Zoo near Winchester and Beale Wildlife Park near Reading have also said they'll be closed for safety reasons.

The Look Out discovery centre at Bracknell will be closed and markets at Bracknell and Crowthorne have been called off.

Legoland - one of Berkshire's biggest tourist attractions - is also closed for the day.

BINS

Reading Borough Council & Bracknell Forest have cancelled their collections today.

Most other council bin collections in Berkshire and north Hampshire will go ahead but several councils have warned there could be disruption - people are being asked to put their bins out carefully being mindful of the conditions.

Lots of council waste and recycling centres are closed today - check before you head out to one.

VACCINATIONS

Plans to open a new walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at Wokingham Library have been shelved, owing to Storm Eunice.

While in West Berkshire ......

FALLEN TREES

West Berkshire Council has published a link for you to report fallen trees: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/reportaproblem