A MAMMOTH clean-up operation is underway across Hampshire as the county recovers from the destruction brought about by three storms.

Storm Dudley started on Monday, February 14, closely followed by Storm Eunice and then Storm Franklin hit on Sunday.

Nearly a week of stormy weather, which saw winds of 121mph batter the country, has left many areas counting the costs of the damage. In Middle Wallop the Met Office reported that gusts of up to 70mph were recorded in the village on Friday.

READ MORE: Rural residents left without internet for six days

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson estimated that the scale of the response is likely to run into six figures.

As well as storm damage that hammered buildings, damaged vehicles and ripped signs from shops, the storm saw at least four people die across the country, including Jack Bristow, a 23-year-old passenger in a vehicle hit by a tree in Old Odiham Road in Alton on Friday, February 18.

It also brought down more than 1,200 trees in Hampshire, which blocked roads and damaged power cables, leading to more than 120,000 homes in Hampshire without power supply on Friday.

Richard Gough, director of distribution system operations at SSEN, said the firm’s teams had been “working hard” to restore power.

Mr Gough said: “I would like to thank customers for their patience and reassure them that, as the winds decrease, our teams will make every effort to repair our network and reconnect supplies as quickly and as safely as we can.”

Businesses, charities and attractions were also affected, with some deciding to close on Friday.

Andover Foodbank and Andover Museum reported their decisions to close on social media.

SEE ALSO: Villages still without power five days after Storm Eunice

Power teams were not the only ones working hard in difficult conditions, Hampshire Highways brought in extra crews.

All planned highway maintenance work was halted, and resources redeployed to help with clearing trees and fallen debris on the roads - prioritising main routes and routes to critical services.

They reportedly had 2,500 reports of storm-related issues, of which 1,200 were tree and vegetation related reports. A significant number of these incidents involved multiple trees.

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “The recovery operation is likely to take at least a month. There is a vast quantity of timber, vegetation and other debris to clear away from across Hampshire’s road network.

“There will also be essential follow-up repairs to be carried out on Hampshire’s roads, footways and fences.

“The impact of the very high winds has been felt keenly across the county and highways crews have found that in attending a report of a road blocked by a fallen tree, they often encountered numerous other tree falls on the way, adding extra work and some delay as a result.”

Schools across the county closed on Friday, the last day before the half-term holidays.

Household Waste Recycling Centres were also closed as were country parks.

Also, Stagecoach bus services and postal services were suspended.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said the suspension was necessary to protect its staff but added: “We expect Storm Eunice to cause severe disruption to the delivery, collection and distribution of mail across the country.”

South Western Railway services were also suspended.

Southern Water were also left dealing with storm damage. Chief operating officer Lawrence Gosden said: “We had very many sites hit by power outages but prudent pre-event mobilisation and crisis response has kept our customers served in all but a small number of places.”

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