Bermuda’s hurricane heroes were tonight thanked by Premier Michael Dunkley in a surprise visit to Warwick Camp.

Mr Dunkley told the troops in an emotional speech: “The Bermuda Regiment is owed a debt of gratitude that cannot be paid, except by the smiles on people’s faces.

“I am so proud as a Bermudian because I get the opportunity to work with people like you, in good times and bad times.”

Mr Dunkley said afterwards: “To see the work that has been done and the work the Regiment has done, I had to come up and thank them personally.

“We have been hit by two storms — I don’t think that has happened in our history.

“We have accomplished a lot and we couldn’t have done it without the Regiment. They were out there first thing in the morning.”

He was speaking as the first Royal Navy sailors from HMS Argyll steamed towards Bermuda to join the Regiment’s massive clean-up effort.

Earlier, the Regiment’s Boat Troop mounted sea-going patrols to check the safety of residents on the smaller islands around Hamilton Harbour and check out a significant number of boats wrecked by the storm.

Colour Sergeant Leslie Spanswick: “Our job is to give assistance if people need it. It’s important to get out on the water and check on people who are that bit more isolated.”

He added: “And it’s good for reassurance to see us out on the water and prepared to help if required.”

The Bermuda Regiment’s newest officer, 2nd Lieutenant Mark Prior, who has just completed his training, led one of the Immediate Response Teams (IRT) helping to clear roads and assisting members of the public whose homes had been damaged by Hurricane Gonzalo.

Lt Prior said: “People are happy to see us — we’ve given out tarpaulins and nails to people and we’re clearing the roads along the way.”

The IRT team was filmed by ABC News as they cleared debris and branches from Front Street in Hamilton.

Lt Prior added: “The entire team worked very hard. The Regiment is proud of them and their families should be proud of them.

“This is what we do, what we train for and they’re doing it with pride and to the best of their ability – and they’re enjoying it. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces puts a smile on our faces too.”