High winds made driving conditions so hazardous police urged drivers not to venture out unless their journeys were absolutely necessary.
Yesterday was one of the busiest days so far this year for Essex Police, with 999 lines jammed at times as people rang in to report weather-related incidents.
Early in the day, the force issued a warning to drivers over local radio stations urging them to stay off the roads if possible.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "In terms of incidents directly related to the weather we took in excess of 300 calls. This was probably the busiest day we've had this year."
One of the main problems was dealing with simple problems which members of the public thought was the force's responsibility.
Callers complaining of fallen trees were redirected to the local authorities while people reporting power cuts and downed power lines were given electricity company phone numbers to call.
The spokesman said: "At some points, our 999 lines were being jammed up by people saying a branch was on a power or phone line."
Published Monday October 28, 2002
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