12.10PM
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A NIGHT of wild weather has brought trees down across the Bathurst region with State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers receiving more than 40 calls for help.
The first calls for the Bathurst Unit came at 9.30pm on Friday with volunteers working through until 4am on Saturday.
Crews worked to clear trees down on houses and blocking roads as wind and rain lashed the region.
Then at 7.30am on Saturday, crews were again called out to assist residents and are currently working on a number of jobs across Bathurst.
SES media officer Charles Milne said the Bathurst Unit received 42 requests for assistance, with the vast majority being trees brought down on houses or blocking roads.
“I would like to remind residents of the Bathurst area to be aware of fallen trees and the potential for power lines to be brought down when they fall, it is best to call the NSW SES on 132 500 and stay at a safe distance if you're unsure,” he said.
“The public's safety and that of our teams is always our top priority when we experience wild weather like we have over the last week.”
Mr Milne thanked the many SES volunteers who have come to the help of the community, not only during the wild weather on Friday and Saturday, but earlier this week during floods across the region.
“Our volunteers have put in a huge effort over the last 24 hours,” he said.
“It is a true credit to the commitment of our members and leadership team to come together and help the Bathurst region especially with the large volume of work we have had this week.”
Earlier
BATHURST has come through a wild night of winter weather with wind gusts that brought down several trees across the region.
Bathurst’s State Emergency Service crews responded to several calls for assistance overnight and are bracing fore more as residents wake on Saturday morning and report further damage.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported wind gusts of more than 80km/h at Bathurst Airport at the height of the storm just before midnight.
A number of heavy downpours overnight also hampered crews as they went about their work.
The bureau is forecasting another patchy day on Saturday, with possible showers and wind gusts of up to 55km/h.
Bathurst is expected to hit a forecast top of just 11 degrees.