Fire service called 110 times as storm batters area

A fire service said it received 110 calls in the space of seven hours as Storm Henk battered England on Tuesday evening.

Firefighters in Essex dealt with "fallen trees, buildings in dangerous conditions and drivers trapped in floodwater".

Forecasters said the county's strongest gust of 67mph (108km/h) was recorded at Andrewsfield near Braintree.

Fallen trees caused damage to homes and cars.

Sandra Jones who lives on Cabborns Crescent in Stanford le Hope, where a tree came down on Tuesday, said her car was parked close to a black Mazda which was crushed by the tree.

Her car suffered "scratches, scuffs and a couple of tiny dents" caused by branches.

She said: "It was a shock and I feel sorry for my neighbour.

"He's pretty upset because he hasn't had his car very long."

Residents living in homes in Hanbury Gardens, Colchester, found themselves trapped when a large tree came down during the storm, which blocked the entrances to their homes.

Essex County Council's Highways team tried to clear the tree and allow residents access again.

On Wednesday morning, rail commuters were warned of "residual delays" caused by trees that had fallen on overhead electrical wires.

Great Anglia said services between London Fenchurch Street and Grays and Pitsea were affected but that all lines were now open.

There was also disruption between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.

On Tuesday night, about 3,000 properties in Essex were left without power but most had been reconnected by Tuesday morning, UK Power Networks confirmed.

Henk was the eighth named storm in three months, with the current spell of wet and windy weather forecast to come to an end later this week as more settled, but chillier, weather moves in.

The Environment Agency said about 10 flood alerts remained in place for Essex.

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