took the brunt of the storm.

Although South Shore beaches took a severe battering, with debris piled high and a long way back from the beaches, further west damage was virtually non-existent.

Dockyard was almost calm, with very few boats left in the marina, although the sea on the northern side was lashing the shore, throwing spray over the deserted roads.

On Monday, Police had issued evacuation notices to hundreds of low-lying properties, including many in Somerset. But by late yesterday it appeared the sea had not risen far enough to cause any problems.

The further west the less the damage, with high seas not affecting Sandys Parish and Southampton on the same level as South Shore.

South Shore beaches all suffered from storm surge, with massive waves building up from far out and pounding the shoreline.

Beach and coastal erosion was clearly evident, even before the storm had abated.

A natural stone archway at Stonehole Bay, Warwick, created over thousands of years was demolished by the pure power of the ocean as it crashed onto shore.

And some of the more picturesque beaches, Horseshoe and Warwick Long Bay, were strewn with wreckage and vegetation dumped by the high waters.