Winds gusted to 51mph at the amateur meteorological station in Worthing, as the severe storm battered Britain.

Click here to see a map of incidents in West Sussex.

Several trees were brought down, one fell across Offington Avenue, Worthing, completely closing the road, and others were reported down on the Bostal Road between Lancing and Steyning and in the Crossbush area.

Chris Ingram, of Limbrick Close, Goring, emailed this picture to the Herald this morning.

Taken by his daughter, Leah Ingram, it shows a car crushed by a fallen tree.

At 8am this morning, a man had a narrow escape after the last cherry tree in The Drive, Goring, snapped at its base and landed on the pavement.

People are having to walk in the road. Resident Grant Patterson said: "We are gutted because it was the last cherry tree in the street."

Mr Patterson said he had telephoned the council, who said they would come and move the tree.

Fire services were stretched dealing with calls from housholders of slates ripped off roofs, aerials ripped down, parts of a roof was blown off the roof of the BP garage in Durrington and firemen spent some time trying to secure a trampoline flying around the back garden of a house in Brookbarn Way, Goring.

Storm-force winds swept into West Sussex in the early hours causing damage but luckily these severe winds, blowing from the SSW, coincided with low tide.

All eyes will be on the next high tide at 1pm. This is a high spring tide at 6.4 metres, but is predicted to be much higher, caused by the the wind, a surge of water up Channel and the low pressure which allows the water to rise higher.

The fear is that the waves will overtop the shingle bank and cause flooding.


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