CREWE is recovering after hurricane winds caused mayhem across the county – pulling down power lines and leaving thousands of households in darkness.

Wind speeds reached almost 100mph, battering Cheshire East on Wednesday evening, February 12, tearing more than 200 trees down ripping the roof from Crewe Railway Station.

Cheshire police reported a total of 1,457 calls, 685 of which were 999 calls and 772 non-emergency calls – a 60 per cent increase.

There were 752 weather-related incidents, the majority being trees and cables down causing disruption on the roads and hazards to the public.

Leader of the Council Michael Jones praised the spirit of residents.

He said: “I can only praise staff who worked through the night to make sure that power was reconnected and the vulnerable were cared for – and we are confident that we can make a quick recovery now.

“I’ve been hearing stories of how well people in the borough have dealt with this in true British spirit, and they should be praised.”

Traffic chaos ensued after highways engineers shut the M6 Thelwall viaduct, diverting thousands of extra cars down clogged Cheshire A roads.

At Crewe Railway Station, services were cancelled after high winds ripped the roof off the key West Coast Main Line interchange and 500 people were evacuated to a nearby hotel.

In total, Cheshire East Council’s emergency teams have received a total of 300 plus calls from concerned members of the public reporting blocked roads with fallen trees.

There were reports of structural damage to chimneys, roof tiles and the gable end of house in West Street, Crewe. Cheshire East Council is currently assessing its safety.

Pockets of power blackouts were reported, with 12,000 Scottish Power customers across the Cheshire area without power.