Lucky escape in Tynemouth as bad weather takes toll

Nov 2 2009 by Tom Mullen, The Journal

DRIVING rain and wind combined yesterday to blow a huge piece of brickwork from the roof of a clothes boutique onto a busy shopping street.

Shoppers in Tynemouth had a lucky escape when concrete and wood came crashing down from the roof of Ruby and Frank clothes shop on Percy Park Road.

Firefighters sealed off the area following fears more debris could be blown form the roof yesterday afternoon.

Civil engineers were also brought in to make sure the structure was safe, while a roadblock prevented traffic from coming close to the scene.

Firefighters blamed wind and rain for the roof’s partial collapse, as yesterday marked the end to the recent “barbecue autumn” spell of mild weather.

One onlooker said the road in Tynemouth was a “complete mess”.

The man, who had broken into a run to escape the miserable weather, said: “It’s pretty bad.