There were few people who had a busier time following the Great Storm than Frederick Fewtrell.

Mr Fewtrell, now aged 79, was the head forester with the Maidstone Parks department at the time.

He easily recalls the devastation and that following the storm, colleagues from the council’s finance, housing and roads departments all came out to help, arming themselves with power saws and protective clothing.

Clearance went on for months.

Mr Fewtrell, who has now retired to live in Anglesey, began getting calls that key areas of Maidstone had seen trees come down.

As he gingerly picked over fallen trees near Mote House while getting his equipment, more crashed down behind him.

Ashford Road had trees which needed clearing and he saw around 60 fallen trees between Willington Street and Turkey Mill.

In Mote Avenue, 80ft trees had toppled onto roofs of houses.

Mr Fewtrell said: “It really was the Dunkirk spirit. We were at war with the weather!

“It wasn’t just the trees that had come down that needed to be removed, but many had their roots weakened and had to go too.”

During the clear-up, he was injured when a branch he was cutting off sprang back, smashing two teeth.

“Fortunately my next call was to Clare Park where a tree had come down on the neighbouring dentists,” he added.

“When I told the dentist what had happened, even though the surgery itself was closed, he ushered me in and gave me emergency treatment straight away. It was the only time I ever had treatment at a dentists without having to wait - or pay.”

Despite the camaraderie, he feels it was still a sad time.

“The trees were lost forever. In Mote Park in particular there were a number of rare specimen trees planted by the original owner, Lord Bearsted. They were lost and never replaced.”