Third storm in a week hits the south coast

Winds of nearly 90mph have been recorded along the south coast as the third storm in the space of one week brings yet more disruption.

Published 21st Feb 2022

Storm Franklin's highest gust of 87mph was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight on Sunday evening.

"Severe disruption" means some train customers are urged not to travel on Monday.

South Western Railway and Southern are urging passengers to stay at home or find alternative ways to travel.

Franklin comes days after Storm Eunice killed three people and left 1.4 million homes without power across the UK.

In Alton, Hampshire, two men were in a pickup truck when it was crushed by a falling tree.

The passenger died at the scene.

Thousands were still without power across Dorset and Hampshire on Monday morning.

Richard Gough, Director of Distribution System Operations at Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution, said:

"The hurricane-force winds of Storm Eunice have resulted in some of the most extreme and challenging conditions experienced in the south of England for decades, with significant impact on our overhead line network.

"I would like to apologise to our customers for the continued disruption as our teams work around the clock to restore power.

"I’d also like to recognise our teams in the field and in our control and customer centres, who are doing a brilliant job in very difficult conditions and stand ready to respond to the impact of Storm Franklin, while prioritising restoring customers who have been without power longest.

"We fully appreciate the issues being faced by customers who have been without power since the start of Storm Eunice and as our teams work hard to reconnect the remaining homes, we are actively encouraging all customers who we expect to remain off supply for an extended period to take advantage of our enhanced welfare offer."