Jersey boat owners count the cost of high winds at Bonne Nuit Bay as vessels 'brushed aside'

  • ITV Channel's Fred Dimbleby assesses the damage after Jersey was hit by unusually strong winds from a north to northeasterly direction

Winds of up to 60 miles per hour have caused significant damage in Jersey's Bonne Nuit Bay.

Fisherman's huts were torn from their base and boats flung onto their side on Monday (26 February) as the island's emergency services issued a severe weather alert.

The cleanup has now begun, with cranes returning boats that the waves had scattered.

Owner Paul De La Coure said: "I put my phone down around 7am and then picked it up and next thing I saw the boat was across the pier. It was a bit of a heart-stopping moment for me.

"You can see the sheer power of this storm, these boats weigh tonnes and yet were simply brushed aside, pushed off their blocks by the power of the wind and the waves.

"It could have been worse had there been a higher tide."

Jersey Met says the unusual wind direction - north to northeasterly - was a big factor in the disruption. Credit: ITV Channel

It is thought the damage caused by the strong winds will cost tens of thousands of pounds to repair.

Colin Queree, a hut owner at Bonne Nuit, said: "It was evil, it really was evil. The waves coming round the corner were huge.

"You've got to take the rough with the smooth but it's our second home and part of the joys of boating."