‘Exceptionally' powerful wind flip plane as city is ravaged by storm

The unmanned microlight was at Solent Airport, on Daedalus airfield, when it upended as gusts hit 60mph on Saturday.

The aircraft damaged the wing of another plane before coming to rest near the boundary of the airfield. Nobody is believed to have been injured.

Flights were suspended from the airfield as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds, which forecasters warned could be a 'danger to life’.

Councillor Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, confirmed a plane had been blown onto its roof.

Speaking to The News, he said: 'The weather has been exceptionally windy today. We have had 60mph wind in Fareham today.

'A small aircraft has been blown onto its roof in the weather. That's what I have heard from someone at the airfield.'

The council chief added: 'It's really not surprising.Normally they are tied down or anchored down. But in exceptional weather these can come loose.'

The appalling weather also forced the airport's Cafe At Zero 5 site to shut up early.

Lisa Wright, who has run the business for two years, said: 'The weather has been really, really blustery and windy.

'Nobody is coming in, it's keeping everyone away. There's nothing flying from the airfield. People don't realise we're still open.'

Elsewhere, motorists were faced with a morning of chaos after the powerful gusts uprooted a tree onto a busy highway.

The tree was blown down onto the A27 near Havant, blocking two lanes between the Langstone roundabout and the A3(M) junction at Bedhampton.

Other trees were reported to have toppled onto railway lines, causing delays on services across Portsmouth.

The situation was so severe it prompted a warning from Hampshire Fire and Rescue's control centre, who urged people to call police if tree had been blown down.

The Met Office added there was a 'danger to life’ as a result of ‘flying debris as well as from large waves with beach material being thrown onto sea fronts'.

At one point there were concerns over the Wickham fireworks display.

However, organisers refused to axe the show – which went ahead without incident – from 7pm.

The heavy winds subsided by 6pm.