Major incident in Guernsey due to storm conditions

Islanders have been advised to stay indoors by emergency services following Storm Goretti being declared a major incident by the States of Guernsey.

Jersey Met said strong winds and heavy rain had been forecast, with gusts of up to 90mph (144km/h) expected from 18:00 GMT until the early hours of Friday morning.

The ambulance service in Guernsey and Alderney are putting special arrangements in place, including having additional ambulance crews on duty overnight.

Ambulance & Rescue Service said operational changes may be needed during the storm and at times there may be delays to ambulance responses.

The police said teams across the emergency services would be out in the storm "clearing debris, responding to calls for help and managing incidents as they arise".

It asked islanders to only call 999 in an emergency and said that non-emergency incidents, such as fallen trees blocking roads, could be reported to the Control Room on 01481 222 222.

Chief of Police, Damien Kitchen, said: "What we're anticipating is very serious storm conditions. What we're asking is for that short period this evening, for the public to stay indoors.

"We consider it's the best advice to keep you safe and also, very importantly, to make sure the emergency services are kept free."

Mr Kitchen added further updates would be made available on the States of Guernsey website and social media pages.

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