Over Seventy Reports Of Fallen Trees From Storm
Five trees fell on main roads in the borough
Hounslow Highways crews worked through the night to tend to fallen trees, traffic barriers that had blown over and other highways issues following the high speed winds experienced across the south of the country, according to Hounslow Council.
Seventy-two fallen trees and branches have been reported so far in the Hounslow Highways Emergency Response Unit. These have been prioritised and crews sent to attend site and make areas safe. Hounslow Highways crews are also proactively removing trees that have been deemed unstable upon inspection.
Two tree clearance crews were directed to attend five trees that fell on main roads. These locations include: London Road, Brentford near Brent Lea, Feltham High Street, Kew Bridge Road near the steam museum and Staines Road near Martindale Road. Four of these five trees have now been cleared.
Twelve street cleansing crews, three highways crews, two street lighting crews, one drainage crew and 16 sub-contractor crews have also been directed to secondary priority incidents.
About 180 operatives are on the network which is now clear as winds drop to 50mph. Crews will be dedicated to clean-up activities across the borough once high priority cases are managed.
Hounslow Highways service director Rob Gillespie said: “All of the planning that we have been doing since the first warnings of severe weather came through on Thursday evening has meant we have been able to direct over 35 crews on to the network within 15 minutes of the high winds subsiding.
“Our main concern is the health and safety of the public and our staff and we are prioritising incidents to reflect this and keep main thoroughfares clear for emergency services if needed.
“We would encourage the public to report any incidents or fallen trees to us via our website: www.hounslowhighways.org or by calling 020 8583 2000.
October 28, 2013
