05/02/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

rise. That is all

It was quite worrying last night seeing all the waves. In Jersey sea

defences begin to crumble and services and supplies suffer. In

terms of impact the customers, they will see some items running short.

And the weather starts to calm down overnight. But there is more rain in

the forecast. I will have all the details later in the programme.

It's affected all of us. The winter storms pummelling our coastlines,

leaving destruction and disruption in their wake. And the wind is still

howling outside tonight. Roads became rivers as St Peter Port

could only stand and watch as the waves crashed over its deluged

defences. 40ft waves meant driving conditions were hazardous,

particularly along the island's east coast. Businesses and homes once

again had to contend with another day of flooding. There is still

plenty of sea water coming over the wall and this main road is currently

an passable. Soon the clean`up operation will begin. And this

morning, the clean up operation was underway at this cafe that juts into

the sea. Its kitchen was knocked out of action when the waves smashed

through its windows. When we first took over ten or so years ago, there

was a bad storm but we have never had such extensive damage. It is

quite worrying last night, seeing all the waves. While businesses

homeowners and even boat owners began to count the cost of the storm

damage, others found the exceptional conditions somewhat exhilarating.

And along with debris washed on shore, this, a live dolphin stranded

at Pembroke. The GSPCA spent all afternoon trying to get it back into

the water. In Alderney, the breakwater was put through its paces

as it did its best to hold back the forces of nature. The wet and windy

weather which the islands have had to contend with as seen here in Sark

is set to continue, but with the tide receding we might just be over

the worst of it. Well, that was the view in Guernsey.

Here in Jersey, we've also felt the full effect of the weather.

Thanks, Clare. I'm at St Helier Yacht Club this evening and I can

tell you it's been a worrying few days for boat owners. I spoke to

those anxiously watching the high tide in St Aubin this morning.

Another night and yet another battering by the weather for the

island. Roads across Jersey were blocked by fallen scaffolding and

about 20 trees. In St Aubin, there was flooding and wind damage, as

waves crashed over the pier and into the harbour, moving boats and

trailers around. Come daylight and the situation wasn't much better.

BBC Radio Jersey's Kevin Pamplin went on patrol with Vingtenier Mitch

Couriard along the closed section of the esplanade from West Park to

First Tower. And back in St Aubin, daylight revealed damage to the

slipway. It is coming to high tide now and you can really feel the

force of the wind and the sea spray coming in. And as the waves rolled

it, boat owners anxiously kept watch on their vessels. I am down here to

check on my boat. It was still there last night and I hope it will still

be there after this. The bins have taken the railings of. As the tides

retreated, they revealed damage to the La Grande Maison slip at St

Catharine's. Repair work to Jersey's sea defences damaged in this week's

storms could cost more than ?20 ,000 and take three months to complete.

You have seen the stormy conditions but they has also been disruption to

goods being brought into the Channel Islands. Emma Chambers reports on

the businesses effected and what insurance implications there could

be. Stormy weather means empty shelves

in supermarkets across the Channel Islands. Shipping companies

cancelled overnight boats yesterday. So food normally imported in from

the UK didn't arrive, leaving customers having to make alternative

choices. It has caused the problem. A vessel was delayed this morning

and customers will notice some fresh items are short. And it wasn't just

food deliveries affected. Freight companies handling building and

construction materials also decided not to battle against last night's

32 foot seas. Force nine and forced ten, if you get the option not to,

it is safer for the ship and the people and there is no point

delivering stuff if it is not safely transported. This is about the first

disruption in what has been a really bad stormy season. It's thought the

strong waves have only caused a day of delays for shipping, but the

damage it's left behind, to even some of the most unusual places

could be more costly. Emergency calls will change to insurance

enquiries with storm victims trying to find out if they're covered. If

you discover damage to your home or car you need to report that your

insurance company. That is the best thing to do. Even if you are not

sure how much damage there is, you let them know first and they can

give you advice. But you can expect your insurance policy to cover

damage caused by storm. Condor services will resume tomorrow and

freight deliveries are expected for Friday, so the shelves won't be too

empty for long. The wind is still roaring around

this year and not great conditions out there. BBC local radio stations

will keep you up to date with the latest. And David will have a full

weather forecast at the end of the programme.

Aurigny's flights to Alderney are likely to be affected by safety

concerns over the main runway. Airport authorities say the grass

sides are so waterlogged they're having to treat the runway as if it

were narrower, meaning some flights may have to reduce passenger

numbers. 12 and 13`year`old boys in Jersey

could soon be given a vaccine that's traditionally used to protect girls

from cervical cancer. Health authorities in the UK are discussing

the benefits of a new version of the HPV vaccine, which can also protect

boys against genital infections Health bosses in Jersey says the

island is likely to follow the UK's lead.

Nine candidates are standing in Jersey's by`election in St. Helier

districts one and owo. Five of them are in district number one and four

in district number two. Only one woman is standing. The by`elections

are to replace former deputies Trevor and Shona Pitman, who were

declared bankrupt in the States and so automatically lost their seats.

Jen Smith reports Standing here is the future States representative for

St Helier districts number one and two.

The nine nominees, five for district one and four for St Helier number

two, officially announced their running to a half empty town hall

last night. St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft thinks whoever's

elected can make a difference in the States before October's election.

Because of the system we have in jersey, an elected member can move

very quickly if they want to into a useful role. They can ask questions

straightaway and large private members bills. The candidates

wanting your votes in St Helier number are:

And joining them in St Helier district number two are:

They'll all have a chance to persuade voters to choose them at a

hustings in a few weeks time. The nominees now have exactly a month to

campaign before St Helier parishioners go to the polls on

March the 5th. Sport and Guernsey FC will be hoping

to defy the bad weather tonight The Green Lions play Sittingbourne at

Footes Lane in the Ryman South. Kick`off is at 7.45pm.

If you are going along, will you have to brave some bad conditions.

David, what can we expect for the next few days?

The highest winds have been across the Isles of Scilly. Guernsey was

the strongest gust of wind at around 64 miles an hour. But it is not just

the strength of the wind, it's the fact we have been building bird

waves over the last few days `` big waves. The guests of wind are not as

high now. We still have severe gales but they continue to drop overnight

tonight. That means it is a quieter start to the day tomorrow. Less

windy. More rain in the forecast. The rain again is going to add up so

tomorrow is a very wet day and later in the evening the wind will

increase again. Let's deal with what's happening this evening. We

are between two areas of low pressure. That is moving out of the

way. This is the next one coming in. There will be some dry weather

between the two. This area of low pressure has some strong winds of it

`` on its southern flank. By the end of tomorrow afternoon, the strongest

winds will be across North portico and northern Spain. That weather

will travel towards us overnight. It is a different wind direction which

could cause problems for some of our trees. Those winds will ease by the

time we get into Friday. Overnight tonight, a few showers left behind

and strong winds but the showers will fade away. It will become dry

overnight. For tomorrow, the rain comes in and it will be widespread

and quite heavy for a good part of the day. The wind will be fresh to

strong. A top temperature of around 10 degrees. These are the coastal

waters forecast. The important times of high water tomorrow morning. For

the servers, not bad for surfing and some big waves. We are a bit

concerned about the strength of the wind tomorrow night. It could be up

to 50 mph or 60 mph. The outlook, staying very much unsettled.

That's it from the TV team. staying very much unsettled.

That's it from the The BBC will keep you updated on the impact of any

adverse weather here on BBC One at 10:25pm tonight, on Radio Jersey and

Radio Guernsey from 6:00am tomorrow and of course on Twitter and

Facebook. you updated on the impact of any

There's more coverage of the storms over on Spotlight in a moment but

I'll leave you now with images of our wild weather of the last few

days. upstairs and sit out, rather than

leave their homes to the mercy of the water.

People in Torcross were evacuated from their homes during last night's

storm as gale force winds and large waves lashed houses. As Spotlight's

Andy Breare reports, coastal communities across the whole of

Devon and Dorset have been devastated by the power of the sea.

They are used to the power of the sea here, but locals say last

night's Stormont was the worst for more than 30 years. As waves

battered the houses, coastguards decided to evacuate people. Around

20 properties where affected. The wave knocked in the door. We

were trying to rescue anything that within the part of the water when

the front window blew in. The coastguards came and said that we

had to evacuate. A lot of people couldn't or didn't

want to get out, because the waves were coming over the tops of the

buildings. But we managed to evacuate and nobody was hurt.

Chairs from this waterfront pub were washed into the car park. Getting

around has been difficult today, with roads turned into rivers. The

storm has badly damaged the pier and the sea wall intimate. In Dorset,

Portland was cut off. This caravan park was under water as the seed

breached the flood bank. Back in tour across, houses have been

boarded up as people start to assess the damage caused by the storm.

I've never seen a storm do so much damage. One or two cracked window

panes and things like that, but never the wide scale of destruction

but last night produced. Coastguards remain here, as

residents wonder if there will be more damage tonight at high tide.

Portland in Dorset has effectively spent the day cut off. The sea has

overtopped defences all along the coast, and properties in West Bay

have flooded. Let's take a look at the situation

here in Dawlish. The main rail line has been left hanging in midair.

This is a picturesque route, but its proximity to the sea means it is

becoming increasingly vulnerable to the weather. We were assessing the

impact that the closure of this line will have in the region.

The devastation of the track at Dawlish looks unprecedented. This

line has often seen shutdowns with millions of pounds poured into

regular maintenance and strengthening. But rail researcher

at Plymouth University shows that the longest period of destruction on

record with only 19 days. This destruction is likely to last at

least several weeks. The results of the line closure at

Dawlish a devastating. It's a great blow to commercial business trade.

It is of great concern. Can the Prime Minister confirm that

he is taking all action to get transport systems back in action? Is

that he will be fast tracking a review of the funding for a

breakwater to protect the railway line?

Members across the house know that this is a vital artery across our

country, and one of the most scenic and beautiful runway lines in our

country. It's hugely disturbing what has happened.

In the past, moving the line has been considered. In the late 1930s,

the GWR wanted a new routes that would have veered in lands. War puts

paid to that. There was a secondary line that connected Newton Abbot to

Exeter. Starve remains for freight, reopening the rest has occasionally

been suggested. If they reopen the line has long planned, it would

reconnect Tavistock. All these options are far beyond current

budgets. Joining me now is Patrick Hallgate

from Network Rail ` Neil, what's the latest this evening?

We've been down on the beach. There are four distinct areas of damage.

It could take a significant number of weeks to compare.

When will work start on the rebuilding? And when do you hope to

have the line open again? We said this morning that it would

be at least six weeks. Some of that really depends on when we can start,

depending on the tides in the next few days.

There is huge concerned that this is the final straw for this bit of

track. `` huge concern. We will be working round`the`clock

to get this line up and running. Is it practical?

We'll do all we can to get it back as quickly as possible.

There have been several high`level meetings today. The Prime Minister

chaired an emergency COBRA this afternoon. And, while we're on air,

many of the region's MPs are meeting the Transport Secretary to demand

urgent action here in Dawlish. Our Political Editor Martyn Oates joins

us now live from Westminster. Martyn, what's happened this

afternoon? The track, the Prime Minister said

he was determined to find a solution to fix the problem. What that

actually means remains to be seen. If the alternative is the bass,

that'll mean very delayed journeys quite some time. And what about this

other meeting with the transport secretary?)

that was organised by the Southwest Devon MP Gary Streeter. He was

trying to get all the local MPs along to that. MPs from all parties

across the region are absolutely furious about this, and demanding

immediate action to prepare it in the short`term. Increasing numbers

of people are saying that we need to be looking at an inland option

instead. Thank you very much. Let's find out

what the weather has in store for us.

Good evening. There is some good news, because the winds are already

dying down. They will continue to ease overnight, but we have more

rain in the forecast. That's something we haven't really

highlighted, because we've had all the problems with the coasts. The

rain has been quite heavy too. There is more about wet weather to come

tomorrow. These are the strongest gusts that we've recorded ` the

highest was 92 mph. All of us are seeing gusts of wind in excess of 65

mph. Slightly less inland. Names being from the warnings we have in

force after rain. Heavy rain tomorrow which will compound the we

already have. One area of low pressure is disappearing northwards.

We get another one coming into following. That area of low pressure

will throw a lot of wet weather towards us through the day tomorrow.

Some of the rainy afternoon could be heavy. That moves out of the way,

and for much of Friday there is some dry weather. There are lighter

winds, so it is the best day of this week. This is a new area of low

pressure, and you don't need me to tell you how tightly packed those as

the bars are. It's another very windy spell of weather on Friday

night and into the start of the weekend. There are some showers

dotted around, but most of those will fade away. Later on tonight,

those winds will drop to. It's good news all round tonight. Showery

activity fading away. By the morning, it's mostly dry, but not

particularly cold. Temperatures down to six or seven degrees. Tomorrow,

at least for the morning, it's dry, but the rain does this settle in. ``

the rain does set in. The winds are mostly from the South or Southeast,

but nowhere near the strength we've seen recently. We may have a problem

with winds from a different direction ` nor the winds, which

could be dusting to 60 mph. `` northern winds. Temperatures

tomorrow of nine or 10 degrees. Not feeling particularly warm because of

the rain. And the Isles of Scilly, less windy. And the important times

of high water are: for our surfers, the waves will be

massive and they are still very big overnight. They do come out dumb

down a bit. Still very big and dangerous. Anywhere from six to nine

feet. We have warnings in force for more wind and rain overnight on

Friday and Saturday. We have warnings on Saturday for more heavy

rain and strong winds. Perhaps quieter on Sunday for top but still

very windy conditions. Thank you. That it is this Wednesday

night. The weather has yet again dominated our headlines. BBC Radio

Devon and Cornwall Police special programmes into the early hours to

keep you updated. We'll leave you with a look at the impact the storm

has had on the Southwest. NICK CLEGG: Are you in,

or are you out? That's the real question at stake at

the European elections on May 2 nd. even though that would wreck

the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives are now

openly flirting with exit, and the Labour Party, well, they

just don't have the courage they wouldn't lift a finger

to help keep Britain in the EU So I'm asking you

to vote for the Liberal Democrats, in for the sake of British

prosperity and jobs. I'm in because we set

the global standards