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Roof crashes into high street amid stormy weather

Thames Valley Police said they do not believe anyone has been ‘seriously injured’ in the incident in Slough.

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A roof has been blown off a building in Berkshire amid strong winds which have battered parts of the UK.

Footage posted on social media shows the large structure blocking part of the High Street in Slough after it was blown off a building, which is believed to be both residential and commercial, on Tuesday.

Taxi driver Haris Baig, 30, from Slough, sad he had to slam on his brakes as he saw a large section of roof crash down in front of him.

“It was a disaster. It was a miracle no one was killed.”

A spokesman for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said three fire engines were in attendance at the scene and they were “not aware of anyone trapped” under the roof, which crashed down onto the road.

“The roof has come off in the wind. The current situation is trying to make the scene safe,” he said, adding the fire service was not “100% sure” if anyone was still in the damaged building.

Gusts in the area were in excess of 50mph on Tuesday evening, according to the Met Office, amid severe weather that has caused travel chaos across the country.

Thames Valley Police said they do not believe anyone has been “seriously injured” in the incident.

“It is believed that part of a building in the High Street has collapsed as a result of the weather conditions,” the force said on Twitter.

“We do not believe that anyone has been seriously injured and we are working with other emergency services to make the scene safe.”

(PA Graphics)
(PA Graphics)

A statement from the council posted on Twitter said: “We are aware of the incident in Slough High Street and specialist officers are on route to assist emergency services.

“Please avoid the area if at all possible and take note of road closures.”

Housing firm Paradigm Housing said the incident in Slough had affected one of its properties, although it is unclear whether the roof had come off its building.

In a statement on Twitter, the firm said: “We are aware of an incident affecting one of our properties in Slough.”

The council asked members of the public to “please be patient” due to heavy congestion in the area.

Weather warnings remain in force across the UK after Storm Brendan battered the country with winds of nearly 90mph on Monday.

After plaguing parts of Ireland, causing thousands of homes and businesses to lose power, the storm brought high winds to parts of England and Scotland.

A second low-pressure front brought further high winds to much of England and Wales on Tuesday, with the Environment Agency (EA) warning strong winds, high tides and large waves could lead to flooding.

Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, amid hazardous conditions (Ben Birchall/PA)
Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, amid hazardous conditions (Ben Birchall/PA)

Passengers faced delays and temporary speed limits due to the heavy winds and fallen trees, while drivers were advised to take extra care on the roads.

Cross Country said that due to the strong gales, services were suspended between Southampton Central and Bournemouth.

A yellow weather warning for rain in the south-east of England remains in place until 9am on Wednesday, while 22 flood warnings and 145 flood alerts had been issued by the EA on Tuesday evening.

The Met Office said the strong winds were due to ease overnight into Wednesday.

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