Despite trees falling down all around them and the roof of the bird-viewing hide blowing off and totally disappearing, the ponies were probably the only individuals in the region who carried on regardless.

Exmoor ponies are very hardy creatures who are able to graze in most environments, especially Druridge Pools, where they happily eat the rushes.  Their feet churn up the muddy ground making it soft and easy for migratory birds to feed in the mud when they start to arrive in the autumn.

Elsewhere, the greatest tree damage has been at the wildlife charity’s Hauxley reserve on Druridge Bay, where the water levels of the lake also rose spectacularly, Northumberlandia and Priestclose Wood at the eastern edge of Prudhoe. Many of the trees were very old and had withstood previous storms.

There is also minor damage at the Trust’s on its St Nicholas Park and Fencerhill Wood reserves.