GALE force winds of up to 90mph caused carnage in the Maldon district with many homes and businesses damaged.
The Met Office issued a red warning for Essex with strong winds posing serious risks of potential danger to life last Friday.
The warning was in place between 10am and 3pm and there was significant damage and disruption across the district.
The chimney stack of the Blue Boar Hotel had been blown off
One of the damaged buildings was Maldon’s most historic pub.
Firefighters were called to reports of damage to the Blue Boar Hotel in Maldon at 12.14pm.
Crews confirmed the hotel’s chimney stack had been blown off by high winds and had gone through the roof of the building.
Photos show the damage to the inside of the Blue Boar
A gazebo in the courtyard was also in a “dangerous position”.
Firefighters worked with the urban search and rescue team to make the scene safe and dismantled the gazebo to prevent further risks by 1.08pm.
A spokesman for the Blue Boar Hotel told the Standard yesterday: "The hotel remains shut but we hope to reopen by mid week minus the top floor bedrooms.
Firefighters dismantling the gazebo
"Just focusing on getting everything safe structurally over the next 2 days and removing bricks and debris.
"Unsure of the true extent of the financial cost of the damage but will find out by the end of the week.
"After coming back to life after being a ghost hotel during Covid this is the last thing we need.
"However, we are working hard to repair the damage and despite the traumatic experience on Friday everyone was safe and unharmed."
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