Storms batter north coast of Spain

The north coast of Spain was battered by storms which have left a trail of damage Saturday night and Sunday morning, Xinhua reported.

Strong wind and high waves hit the entire north and northwest of the country from Galicia across to the Basque region, causing wide-scale material but fortunately no reported fatalities as waves of over 10 metres in height were reported.

In the Basque region, the city of San Sebastian was badly affected as the city's famous old town suffered flooding with water over a metre and a half in depth. Police have recommended drivers to avoid the centre of town as bridges over the Urumea river, which passes through the city, have been closed as a result of the high water.

Seven meter waves caused damage along the La Concha beach and residents in neighbourhoods close to the seafront were advised to move their cars out of low level garages because of the risk of flooding.

Other towns such as Deba, Pasaia, Zarautz and Irun also saw waves cause flooding, while families needed to be moved in Erandio and the coastal towns of Bermeo, Bakio and Muskiz because of the risk of the rising waters.

The town of Santander in Cantabria saw similar scenes with the area around the Sardinero beach hit by waves which flooded garages, shops and the bars in the region. Firemen have been working since early Sunday morning to pump out flooded basements and businesses, while they were employed in clearing the streets in nearby San Vicente de la Barquera.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the far northwest region of Galicia, which bore the brunt of the weather, which came in from the Atlantic with local governments deciding to limit access to many beaches as the region was placed under red alert for the weather.

The level of alert has since been lowered to orange as the weather front passes by, but with further strong wind and rain forecast for the coming days the north of Spain authorities will remain on guard.