The majority of parks and open spaces in Hamilton have been cleared of debris downed by Hurricane Fiona last week.

A spokeswoman for the Corporation of Hamilton said that Victoria Park and Barr’s Bay Park have reopened to the public.

Fort Hamilton is open, but the moat gardens will remain locked and there will be no public access as parks crews work to clear foliage and debris.

Queen Elizabeth Park is still in the process of being cleared and is expected to reopen either later today or tomorrow morning.

The spokeswoman said: “Teams from the city’s engineering, sanitation and parks sections mobilised immediately following the hurricane, as soon as it was safe to do so, and an assessment had been completed.

“The City would like to thank all City staff and workers who came out over the weekend to assist in the clean-up of Hamilton.”

Large branches were cleared away from Hamilton streets and sidewalks on Saturday and a large volume of trash was collected from across the city, although there was no significant damage to any properties.

The spokeswoman said: “The parks team worked diligently to save and rehabilitate several trees which were damaged during the storm including a sizeable bay grape tree in Barr’s Bay Park and a large ebony tree located in the northwest corner of the City Hall car park.

“In total the City lost two trees during the storm which will be replaced.

“The City wishes to advise the public that we will be dealing with significant leaf litter on our streets for the next few weeks as weakened leaves damaged by the hurricane’s harsh winds and sea salt continue to fall. We are asking for the public’s patience as we work to continuously deal with this issue.

“Lastly, the City wishes to remind City businesses that they must remove their garbage bins from City streets and sidewalks during storms.”