Storm’s chaos and destruction
A huge clear-up operation is underway in Sunderland after it was hit by Storm Arwen over the weekend.
The extreme weather conditions, which saw high winds batter Wearside, caused extensive damage across the city and the wider North East.
The storm hit Sunderland from Friday evening and continuedovernightandintoSunday, before more icy weather took over.
And it has left many counting the cost, with widespread incidents of both properties and vehicles being damaged, both by fallen trees and collapsing brickwork in many occasions.
Metro services were severely disrupted, with no trains running between Pelaw and South Hylton. And Northern Powergrid said its teams had been working around the weekend to try and restore power to those homes affected in the North East.
Sunderland City Council said it had received more than 400 calls by Saturday afternoon as the storm brought chaos and destruction.
Across the city, there were scenes of fallen trees in locations
including Mere Knolls Cemetery, Station Road, Fulwell, Thornholme Road, Mount Road and Park Parade, Roker. The official opening of the ice rink in Keel Square also had to be cancelled on Saturday as Storm Arwen continued to rage.
Vehicles, including a car and van, were left badly damaged under piles of fallen bricks in Gloucester Avenue and Stanhope Road, while damage could be seen to homes across the city, including in Chester Road and Villette Road.
Among those affected was mum-of-three Claire LePaul, who lives in Hendon, who spoke of her shock after the wall of her home collapsed in
the early hours of Saturday morning.
"Half of my house was on the floor,” said Claire, 27.
"It was quite scary, knowing that the rest of my house could potentially fall in and especially with three children in thehousethatarequiteyoung.
"I was scared it could fall in on them. I’m just glad it was three o’clock in the morning and there was no one walking past because if someone was walking past it would’ve crushed them. I’ve never seen a storm in Sunderland that’s that bad.”
The high winds whipped up huge waves that saw Rokier Pier closed to the public, while Seaham Harbour also took the brunt of a stormy North Sea.