Gallery: The 25th Anniversary of the 1987 storm

TODAY is the 25th anniversary of ‘The Great Storm of 1987’ which hit Southern England and Northern France with winds reaching gale force 11.

The storm caused major panic across counties with thousands of homes affected and schools were forced to close.

This week we have launched our specialist online section dedicated to the storm.

Here you can find facts and figures, an indepth history, and your personal memories on what you remember about the storm.

Here are just a few memories that have been sent in:

Mike Crosby via Facebook: I remember that day very clearly... My colleague Roger went up on the roof at Darby’s TV shop in Market Place to chop off our aerial as we thought that the whipping in the wind would cause the chimney stack to fall into the building.

Christine Croft via Facebook: I was 12 years old and due to go on a school trip to France that day. My dad dropped me off at school in total darkness and quite happily drove off, only for the trip to be cancelled and me stranded at school in the dark! My mum wasn’t impressed!

Lisa Buist via email: I was eight years old at the time. Me and my twin sister were the only kids who turned up at our school. Every road was blocked off by fallen trees. Just as well we lived on the same road as the school! We were sent straight home though!

Can you remember the 1987 storm? Were you affected directly or did you help out others?

If so email your memories, photos and videos to catherine.gill@archant.co.uk

To view the section online look for the button on our homepage.