THIRTY years ago today South Essex residents were waking up to a nightmare.

It was the morning after the night before- the night the Great Storm of October 15/16, 1987 wreaked havoc over the county. Trees were felled in their thousands, window were smashed, power lines came crashing down and on the seafront boats, caravans and beach huts bore the brunt of the 110mph force winds – the worst to hit the UK in 300 years.

Southend Hospital had to shut, a visit by Princess Anne to Broomfield Hospital has to be scrapped, three tonne freight containers at Tilbury Docks tumbled down like dominoes and in Basildon, the Allders department store lost half of its stock due to water damage.

Echo:

Echo news editor Simon Bishop was studying photography at Seevic College in Southend when the storm struck. He said: “I decided to spend the day after the storm walking around taking pictures of the damage rather than going to college that day.

“I walked down to the cockle sheds in Leigh, then up to the Broadway and on to Chalkwell Park and Belfairs Woods. It was still very blustery and there were signs of significant damage everywhere I went.

“The majority of the windows in Leigh Broadway were smashed, and shop awnings were hanging down. In Chalkwell Park some very large trees had been blown down, showing how powerful the wind must have been.The cricket screens had been smashed against a tree and were in pieces. A roof had been blown off a building attached to Chalkwell Hall, and one tree had fallen through the railings facing London Road and crushed a red phone box.

“Many wooden shelters in Belfairs Woods and golf course had been uprooted and smashed. I couldn’t go deep into the woods as large branches were still being blown all over the place. When I returned to Seevic, I saw that the landmark spire on top of the theatre building had been destroyed. It still hasn’t been replaced!

“It was a humbling reminder of the power of nature that we rarely experience in this country.”