AFTER severe winds tore the roofs off their houses, Newport residents spent today battening down the hatches and repairing the damage.

On Monday afternoon three houses on Cotman Road in St Julians had their roofs torn off by the gale force winds from Storm Clodagh as it battered Gwent.

After the fire service were called to make them safe, and the insurers were tasked with dealing with the aftermath, building contractors spent much of Tuesday making the roofs water tight.

John Beal, 89, who lives in one of the houses affected, was taking a nap when the storm struck.

Now, after friends and family rallied around to support him, he has thanked everyone for all their help.

“I would like to say thank you as they have all been absolutely fantastic,” he said.

“I have got a great family around me with a lot of people supporting me.

He added: “We have got scaffolding going up and a builder battening down the roof so rain doesn’t cause any further damage.

“The weather has been kind to us and we have managed to get quite a bit done.”

Mr Beal, who has loved on Cotman Road for more than 58 years, added that he had now recovered from the shock of his roof blowing off.

“It was quite traumatic for someone of my age, but things are all coming together now and I’m very grateful for all the help and sympathy from everybody.

“I can’t thank everyone enough for their kindness and their thoughts and help.”