STORM Ciarán swept across Hampshire with predictions of strong winds and heavy rain causing more than a dozen Romsey schools to close.

A total of 149 Hampshire schools shut with 14 in the Romsey area.

A major incident was declared in Hampshire with the authorities preparing for major disruption although it was lifted yesterday afternoon.

The Romsey schools closed, including three secondary schools, were: Rownhams St John's Church of England Primary, The Romsey Secondary, Nursling Church of England Primary, Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary, Cupernham Junior, The Mountbatten Secondary, Cupernham Infant, North Baddesley Infant, North Baddesley Junior, Test Valley secondary, Halterworth Primary, Wellow Primary, Awbridge Primary and Braishfield Primary.

In a Facebook post, The Romey School said: “The Romsey School and other schools in the area will be closed on Thursday 2nd November for all students. Unless you hear otherwise, the school will be open as normal on Friday, November 3.”

Also on Facebook, The Mountbatten School, which closed on Wednesday after a power cut, said: "Sadly, along with Romsey School and our other primaries, we have had to take the decision to close the school on Thursday 2nd November for all students.

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"We are very sorry that we have had to close two days in succession due to circumstances beyond our control. We look forward to reopening safely to all students and staff on Friday 3rd November."

Romsey was noticeably empty yesterday, hitting some trade.

Janet Cooper, manager at the Tenovus charity shop, in Market Place, said: “It has been a bit of a non-event. There have been so many weather warnings, no one has come into town. It has impacted business really badly. It’s a bit strange that all the schools are closed. They thought it was Armageddon, but it wasn’t.”

Naomi Reading, manager of Green Hill in Bridge Street, said: "In the nicest possible way, the storm may come this afternoon. Sadly Romsey has done what it always does and gone very quiet.

"Closing the schools may have been a bit of an overreaction. They could have all stayed open. Some businesses in the town have closed because parents can’t get childcare. So people will lose their income."

Victoria Ridge, owner of Angel Floss in Latimer Street, said: “It hasn’t been too bad so far. We’ve actually seen an influx in business as the schools are shut. We had quite a lot of kids coming in buying sweets. But time will tell this afternoon. It’s a bit disruptive for schools, but safety comes first.”

Flood warnings were in place for the River Blackwater, near East Wellow, and the River Dun, near Dunbridge and Lockerley. 

The River Dun was recorded at 24.10m, the highest level recorded by the measuring station since June 2008.

The River Blackwater was at 3.26m, the highest level recorded since Christmas Eve in 2013.

Romsey has a history of flooding in the 1960s, 1995, 2000 and 2001. In the winter of 2013/2014, water overtopped Fishlake Stream and the Barge Canal, flooding 36 homes and 44 commercial properties with devastating consequences for families and businesses.

An Environment Agency spokesperson warned that Storm Ciaran could cause "significant flooding".

They added: "We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm (1ft) of flowing water is enough to move your car."

Train services were disrupted with SWR trains running at lower speeds and the company advising people not to travel. 

A statement said: “Because of the potential for disruption we’re asking our customers to consider if their journeys are entirely necessary. Customers may also wish to consider travelling on alternative days, as ticket acceptance is in place for today and Friday.”