All ferry services have been suspended as fierce winds once again batter the island, the Department of Marine and Ports announced this morning.

Shortly after noon, Belco reported more than 1,600 customers had lost electricity — about a third of them in Devonshire.

Belco’s managing director Shelly Leman urged the public to remain vigilant as local weather forecasts placed the island under a gale warning with wet and windy conditions expected throughout the weekend.

She said that Belco teams were out working to restore power and told customers to notify the utility of any emergencies, such as pole fires or sparking downed lines, through the reporting line 955.

Ms Leman added: “I urge residents to secure their properties and remove or tie down all loose items in yards — including furniture, toys, trash cans and gardening equipment — that could become airborne projectiles during high winds and potentially contact Belco’s overhead wires.

“As an example, last weekend, an unsecured trampoline became airborne and caused a prolonged outage impacting customers in the Dolly’s Bay area of St David’s due to the damage sustained to overhead infrastructure.

“Customers are also reminded to unplug sensitive equipment and electronics if affected by a power outage.”

Ms Leman told drivers not to go around cones or barricades on the roads, since they are in place to signal working zones to protect the public and Belco crews from hazardous conditions.

The Bermuda Weather Service issued a severe weather warning, with sustained gusts near 60mph forecast by this evening. The BWS added that “increasingly hazardous” southwesterly swells would develop over the weekend as a powerful low-pressure system passes to the north of the island.

Marine and ports said ferry routes will be closely monitored to determine when services can resume.

For more information, call the ferry terminal on 295-4506 or visit www.marineandports.bm.