Start with a Slow, Safe Assessment

After a night of high winds, the temptation is to dash outside and start yanking at broken panels. Please don't. A damaged fence can be unstable, and a panel that looks fine may be held by a single nail. Begin with a slow walk around the boundary, keeping a safe distance. Look up for overhead cables and overhanging branches, and down for anything sharp or electrically live. Wear sturdy boots, gloves and eye protection, and tell someone where you are working. If a fence is leaning badly over a pavement or road, keep clear and consider whether the local council needs to know. Never climb on a damaged fence to inspect it.

What to Look For on Posts, Panels and Gates

Take a notebook or your phone and record what you find. This helps you plan repairs and supports any insurance claim. Work through the fence line methodically.

• Posts: Are they upright? Push gently at the base. If a post moves, the footing or the timber below ground may have failed. Probe the base with a screwdriver: soft, crumbly wood means rot, and the post will need replacing rather than re-setting.
• Panels: Look for cracked rails, split boards, and panels that have popped out of their grooves. A panel can often be tapped back, but if the timber is snapped or rotten, it is safer to replace it.
• Gates: Check for dropped hinges, twisted frames and latches that no longer meet. A gate catching the wind can pull a whole post loose, so take it off its hinges if it is swinging freely.
• Ground: Look for lifted concrete, exposed footings and waterlogged soil. These weaken the whole structure.

Make Safe First, Mend Later

Before any permanent repair, stabilise the fence so it cannot cause further damage or injury. Temporary bracing is straightforward and worth doing well. Cut timber props at an angle and stake them into firm ground, then screw them to sound posts at roughly 45 degrees. Use ratchet straps to pull leaning panels back towards upright, but do not over-tighten — timber can snap. Remove any panel that is hanging loose and store it flat, out of the wind. If a gate is unsafe, lift it off and store it indoors or under cover.

If you need to dig near the fence line, check for buried services first. In the UK, you can find advice on safe digging from your utility provider. Keep children and pets away from the work area, and never use the fence itself as a ladder. A stepladder on firm, level ground is far safer.

Repairing Loose Posts and Broken Panels

If a post is sound but has simply come loose, you may be able to re-set it. Dig around the base, remove the old concrete if it is broken, and re-bed the post with a concrete mix or a fast-setting post mix. Set posts at least 600mm into the ground, and 750mm on exposed or windy sites. Angle the concrete dome so water runs away. If the post has snapped above ground, a metal repair spike driven into the ground can hold a new post alongside the old one — a quick, strong fix. Where a concrete spur is still firm, bolt a new timber post to it.

For panels, remove the damaged section carefully. Replace split rails and rotten boards with pressure-treated timber of a similar size. Galvanised nails and screws resist rust. Treat any cut ends with a good quality timber preservative, because exposed end grain is where rot begins. When refitting a panel, leave a small gap at the bottom for airflow and to stop water sitting against the timber.

Rebuilding with Wind in Mind

When you replace whole sections, think about how the wind behaves. Solid fencing acts like a sail, so consider a slatted or open-board design that lets some air through. Choose strong posts and rails, and add diagonal bracing to gates and end panels. For gates, use heavy-duty hinges and a reliable latch, and check that the gate swings freely without straining the post. If your boundary is very exposed, a mixed hedge or a planted windbreak can reduce pressure on the fence. After any repair, check the whole line again after the next gale, and tighten any fixings that have worked loose.

Caring for Outdoor Timber After the Storm

Once the fence is stable, give the timber some attention. Sweep off dirt, leaves and algae, and let the wood dry. Apply a preservative or stain to bare patches, especially around joints and cut ends. Clear soil and debris away from the base of posts so water cannot pool there. Oil gate hinges and check that latches line up. A short inspection each spring and autumn — looking for loose fixings, early rot and leaning posts — will save you a much bigger repair after the next storm. Repairing storm damage is never pleasant, but done safely and with good materials, your fence will stand up to British weather for years to come.