MELKSHAM and surrounding villages were affected by the recent storm which swept across the south of England.
The storm which saw winds in the region get recorded as high as 75mph along with heavy rainfall caused trees to fall as well as flooding to roads which made commuting difficult for many.
Southern Electric confirmed that hundreds of homes in Melksham and Atworth were affected by a power cut with thousands of homes suffering a loss of power in the south.
In Church Lane a tree approximately 60 feet tall fell in the storm which fortunately narrowly missed a house by about five feet. The tree however did cause extensive damage to an outbuilding and caused its contents including a television and stereo to be damaged beyond repair. Kim Bailey, who found the 60ft tree in his garden said, “I couldn’t belief what I was seeing. My wife said the tree was down having looked out the window, but when I looked it was just a shock! We have to look on the positive side in that it could have been much worse as it narrowly missed our house and if it had gone the other way it certainly would have caused major damage to our neighbour’s cars and home.
“It’s frustrating to have the outbuilding so badly damaged as we use that a lot as a changing facility for our hot tub and as an area to relax. The television inside and my stereo are ruined but nothing could have been done to prevent it and you have to look at the positives that it could have been much worse.”
The storm which is thought to be the worst recorded in England since 1987, claimed four lives as a result of stormy seas and falling trees.
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