STORM Aileen has been causing choas in South Essex.

Two south Essex roads were blocked after high winds have caused chaos.

Daws Heath Road, Benfleet was closed at the junction with Central Avenue because of a fallen power cable.

Rectory Road, Benfleet was also blocked by a fallen tree by John Burrows Park.

Drivers are reminded to take care.

Westcliff residents have taken to twitter as even walls have been knocked down.

Southend Council is looking into the issue.

Storm Aileen was expected to peak last night and into this morning.

Yesterday, Highways England issued an amber ‘be aware’ alert across the country in response to a Met Office forecast of strong winds and heavy rain, which came to force last night.

Richard Leonard, Head of Road User Safety at Highways England, said:

“We’re encouraging drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys, with strong winds and heavy rain expected from Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning.

“In high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes so we’d advise drivers of these vehicles to slow down and avoid using exposed sections of road if possible.”

A spokesman for UK Power Networks said: "It is a busy day across the east of England but there are no widespread problems. UK Power Networks engineers are on site in Daw Heath Road, Benfleet, following reports of a low hanging overhead line.

"No properties are currently without power as a result of this but we may need to isolate supplies later to repair it safely."