A GALE-LASHED Fylde Coast has been left counting the cost of repairs after being bombarded by the strongest winds for a decade.

Flooding, falling masonry and power cuts were the norm as storms lashed the region at the weekend following an earlier spell of weather chaos during the Christmas period.

On Saturday (January 3) Blackpool Promenade was closed for several hours as high waves made it too dangerous for pedestrians and motorists.

Elsewhere, parts of roofs were blown away and the fire brigade was called out to attend five times as many incidents as this time last year.

Piers took the brunt of the storms, with North Pier losing 100 metres of its jetty and suffering damage to the sun lounge and theatre roof, which will all cost around £750,000 to repair.

South and Central also have minor damage to the amusement attractions.

Much of the Illuminations display was taken down prior to the bad weather but there was some damage to Gynn roundabout and the Welcome Arch at Squires Gate.

Fallen trees were reported in and around Stanley Park.

Further south, Lytham Windmill lost its sails while staff and residents at the New Thursby Nursing Home on Clifton Drive North, St Annes, got a shock as gales tore down their showpiece conservatory.

Nursing sister Wendy Stevenson said: "It all came crashing down about quarter to nine on Christmas Eve.

"With the gales we were keeping an eye on things all evening.

"We also lost a lot of slates off the roof and the fence blew down"

Across the road at Pontins holiday centre part of the front wall was blown down but none of the 1,200 guests were affected.

And despite a two-hour power cut they sat down to Christmas dinner just half an hour late.

The storms brought out the best in friendly relations including a roofer working for Bensons and Ashtons dressed in his dressing gown and slippers, who climbed on to the roof of a house in Sunningdale Drive, Thornton, to temporarily repair a gaping hole on Christmas morning.

Then when more than 100 tiles blew off the roof at Christchurch with Saints, in Palatine Road, Blackpool, former International Rescue member Jonathon Gleeson and colleague Mike Brannan climbed it using ropes and ladders to make temporary repairs.

But in other areas tempers were frayed.

A row broke out between residents from the MIllfields and Keepers Chase housing estates in Thornton and builders Barratt when ridge tiles lifted away from half of the houses causing damage to lower roofs, three cars and three conservatories.

They formed an action group after initially being told by Barratt to claim on their own home insurance despite older houses nearby showing no sign of damage.

A Barratt spokesman said that as a goodwill gesture they would replace roof tiles damaged or loosened by the storms.

But Mike Pollard, who lives in Exeter Drive said: "The opinion of the residents and repairers who have viewed the damage is that there isn't sufficient mortar to hold the ridge tiles."

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