Published on Thursday 02 November 2023
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council teams have been dealing with disruption caused by Storm Ciarán today (Thursday 2 November 2023) as strong winds and heavy rainfall swept across the area.
Council teams have been working to deal with the impacts of the storm since early on Thursday morning, responding quickly to challenges with vital work taking place such as:
- Keeping highways clear, including a section of the busy Wessex Way and roads in Christchurch
- Responding to flooding and high winds in coastal areas, including at Hamworthy Park
- Maintaining all scheduled refuse and recycling bin collections for today (2 November)
- Placing 24 rough sleepers into overnight accommodation
Teams are still working through a number of storm-related incidents and BCP Council is asking residents for their patience while it deals with the backlog.
Weather forecasters at the Met Office have advised a yellow warning for wind and rain remains in place until early evening.
The Environment Agency has flood warnings in place for Poole Harbour, Christchurch Harbour and the B3347 to Stony Lane in Christchurch.
It is asking people to take particular care near saturated rivers and be aware of any further flood alerts raised for their area.
Council services affected include:
- Bournemouth and Boscombe Pier continue to be closed until it is safe to reopen them
- Twin Sails and Poole Bridge – lifting suspended until 5.30am tomorrow morning (Friday 3 November)
Flooding, fallen trees and debris may force some road closures, so please check before you travel.
Residents are urged to continue to stay away from the coastline where further flooding and tidal surges are expected.
Cllr Vikki Slade, Leader of BCP Council and Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places which oversees emergency planning, said:
"Our teams in Highways, Parks and Seafront have been doing a fantastic job since the early hours, going over and above to respond to approximately 60 reports of trees fallen, clearing the road network in Bournemouth and Christchurch and keeping our day-to-day services running smoothly.
"There’s still more work to do to respond directly to the storm, and we should all be mindful that the weather will still affect us all as we move into the weekend.
"There’s the risk that some trees or branches which have been battered all day, might still fall so be careful when going out and about.
"A clear up operation is underway to prioritise the worst of any blockages or flooding incidents on roads or pathways and we are urging residents to bear with us while we get through all the reports of incidents that need attending."
Further windy weather is expected at the weekend in Storm Ciarán’s wake, with a wind weather warning for Saturday across parts of south west England.
Further rainfall is also expected on Saturday.
Residents should use the links below to report any storm-related incidents:
- BCP Council's Report It function
- Fallen Trees blocking main roads here
- Flooding in homes and businesses here
- Flooding on roads here
- Power cut – to find your local electricity network
Residents can get updates about food waste collections here.