STRONG winds battering the Suffolk coast today knocked down stacks of containers at Britain's biggest port.A large number of boxes were blown over in quayside storage parks at Felixstowe.

Richard Cornwell

STRONG winds at the weekend knocked down stacks of containers at Felixstowe Port and brought down trees across the county.

A large number of boxes were blown over in quayside storage parks at Britain's biggest container port yesterday as the county was hit by gusts of up to 50mph as well as heavy bursts of rain.

Port officials said rail and yard operations had been affected and access was being restricted to operational areas for the safety of all port users.

Despite the winds, Operation Stack did not need to be launched as traffic levels are not as high at weekends as on weekdays.

Suffolk Police also reported that there were a few trees blown down across the county although there were not a high number of incidents.

This week's forecast doesn't seem to promise any improvement with unsettled weather in store, consisting of more showers and winds.

A spokesman for Weatherquest said: “The rest of the week looks unsettled. There will be plenty of strong winds and it will be more showery towards the end of the week.”

“Although temperatures have been fairly mild, the wind makes it feel cooler, and with more heavy showers in store, it seems winter has officially arrived.”