Great Storm of 1987 in Eastbourne - 21 pictures of the destruction 39 years on

In the early hours of October 16, 1987, people were woken by hurricane-strength winds as the worst storm since 1703 left a trail of destruction along the south coast, despite BBC weatherman Michael Fish’s infamous report downplaying the storm the night before.

Now known as The Great Storm, the once-in-a-lifetime event claimed the lives of 18 people in England, including four people from Sussex.

The highest hourly mean speed of winds recorded in the UK was in Eastbourne at the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse.

We took a look through the archives and found these photographs from the town, which were taken by The Herald’s photographer Terry Connolly in the aftermath of the storm.