When the Great Storm of 1987 'paralysed' London and brought down 15 million trees

Weather experts have warned that Storm Eunice will provide the strongest weather Britain has seen since the 'Great Storm' of 1987 which left 18 people dead and caused huge damage to many parts of the UK. In south-east England, where the worst damage occurred, there were gusts of around 80mph for several hours.The powerful storm took hold in the early hours of 16 October, 1987, with winds peaking at 100mph, which saw 15 million trees blown down. Electricity and phone lines were also brought down, many small boats were wrecked on the south coast, and a Channel ferry was even blown ashore near Folkestone. The storm claimed 18 lives, though it is thought the total could have been higher had it happened during the day.Termed a 'weather bomb' because of its rapid development, the hurricane-speed storm even caught out veteran weather presenter Michael Fish, who famously denied in an October forecast that a hurricane was coming. In a BBC segment, he said: "Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way... well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!"