Storm Arwen in Hartlepool latest: Homes and firms count cost of damage

Hartlepool has literally started to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of Storm Arwen.
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Home owners and businesses across town are busy counting the cost of the weekend storms.

De Bruce Court care home, in Jones Road, has moved residents to other care homes after a section of roof blew off above a storage space.

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Damaged premises at the junction of Raby Road and Hart Lane, in Hartlepool.Damaged premises at the junction of Raby Road and Hart Lane, in Hartlepool.
Damaged premises at the junction of Raby Road and Hart Lane, in Hartlepool.

Firefighters were at the scene for about four hours after the alarm was raised at 2.19am on Saturday.

David Stockdale, director of operations for Careline Lifestyles Group, which runs the home, stressed that “no-one was hurt or near the location” at the time.

He added: “We took the decision the following day to relocate all residents from the main section of the home to other homes we operate and also to other care homes in Hartlepool while we repair the damage caused by the wind and to minimise disruption to their daily routine while we have contractors and plant on site.

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"We anticipate we will reopen the affected units by midweek.

Firefighters were at De Bruce Court care home , in Hartlepool, for around four hours in the early hours of Saturday morning.Firefighters were at De Bruce Court care home , in Hartlepool, for around four hours in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Firefighters were at De Bruce Court care home , in Hartlepool, for around four hours in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“It has been an incredibly busy weekend and while we hope never to have to put our emergency protocols to the test, it is good to know that they worked and they worked well.

"No-one was hurt or came close to being hurt, everyone is safe and well and everyone - staff and residents - pulled together and despite the damage to our roof, spirits are high.”

The care home was earlier praised after a member of staff visited the nearby property where the plank had become wedged to check if the occupants were okay and to offer to pay for the repairs.

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Mr Stockdale has now said: “We like to be good neighbours and we have our own maintenance division and contractors who we knew would be able to help people had also suffered damage from those terrible winds and so we reached out.

The Royal, in Church Street, Hartlepool, suffered roof damage in the weekend storms.The Royal, in Church Street, Hartlepool, suffered roof damage in the weekend storms.
The Royal, in Church Street, Hartlepool, suffered roof damage in the weekend storms.

"First and foremost we wanted to make sure the family with the damage to their roof were okay and to offer to repair the damage.

Caravans were turned on their roofs during the storm and the company said in a statement on Monday: “The safety of our team and owners remains our top priority so the park will remain closed and we ask that you refrain from visiting.

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"Initial surveys have taken place and the next stage is to complete surveys on all holiday homes.

"This requires the team to go underneath units to check connections so we will be turning off the electrical and gas supply at the park. We are sure you can appreciate that this is paramount to keeping our team safe. We aim to have the services off for as little time as possible.”

The Tall Ships pub, in Mulberry Rise, is trading again after closing on Saturday while The Royal, in Church Street, which suffered roof damage, is hoping to reopen on Thursday.

Rail services to and from Hartlepool railway station are also returning to normal after Saturday cancellations.

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Crimdon Dene’s owner support team is available on 0344 335 3523.

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