Essex was bracing itself today as storm-force winds swept the county.

The QEII bridge on the M25 at Thurrock was closed and people were warned not to travel to the coast to watch the waves because of the risk of being swept away.

Winds off Mersea were gusting at 58mph at 8am and were expected to pick up even further, possibly up to 70mph, as high tide approached at 8.20am.

Devon and Cornwall had already been battered by 70mph winds in the early hours, with high-sided vehicles blown over and property damaged.

The Environment Agency warned people not to go out wave-watching, despite the spectacular scenes.

It said the backwash from waves could drag people into the sea.

Gazette weatherman Terry Mayes said while the winds were likely to be marginally worse than those which hit Essex just over a week ago, he did not think there would be the hurricane-force winds predicted for other regions of the country.

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