Storm Ciaran sparks 1987 Great Storm memories in Essex

The Great Storm wreaked havoc across the county, with thousands of trees felled, windows smashed and power lines crashing down.

Boats, caravans and beach huts also bore the brunt of the 110mph winds - the worst to hit the UK in 300 years.

The overnight storm resulted in Southend Hospital being forced to shut, while Princess Anne’s scheduled visit to Broomfield Hospital had to be called off.

Beached - yachts were blown ashore at Thorpe Bay as a result of the hurricane force winds

Three tonne freight containers tumbled down like dominoes at Tilbury Docks and the Allders department store, in Basildon, lost half of its stock due to water damage.

Echo news editor Simon Bishop was studying photography at Southend’s Seevic College when the storm struck and he was keen to see the damage caused.

Devastation calling - Simon Bishop saw a phone box in London Road which had been decimated by a tree

He said: “I decided to spend the day after the storm walking around taking pictures of the damage rather than going to college.

“I walked down to the cockle sheds in Leigh, then up to the Broadway and on to Chalkwell Park and Belfairs Woods.

Clean up - members of the community come together to inspect the damage caused by the 110mph winds

"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.

Gone - cricket screens were destroyed in Chalkwell

“In Chalkwell Park some very large trees had been blown down, showing how powerful the wind must have been.

Read more:

• Storm Ciarán: Flood alert issued across parts of south Essex
• Hour-by-hour forecast in Southend and Basildon as Storm Ciarán batters Essex
• Southend High Street market cancelled as Storm Ciaran to hit 'in next few hours'

"The cricket screens had been smashed against a tree and were in pieces.

Toppled like dominoes - huge containers were unable to withstand the winds at Tilbury Docks

"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.

“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!

Hit hard - a truck is left on its side while lights and benches felt the effects on Southend seafront

“It was a humbling reminder of the power of nature.”

Scroll down to see more images of how the weather took its toll.

Chalkwell Park - huge trees were uprooted in the woods

Damage - one of the hundreds of homes wrecked by the storm on that fateful night

Ripped from the earth - Simon Bishop saw countless trees uprooted in Chalkwell Park