Islanders urged to check their homes after high winds damage property

Monday 03 March 2014

The owners of a property in St Clement say they are lucky no-one was killed after their roof tiles flew off in last night's high winds leaving a gaping hole in their roof.

The Met Office has confirmed that the house was struck by a mini-tornado, and a neighbour's weather station has recorded wind speeds gusting at up to 62 mph. The homeowner, Gwyn Garfield-Bennett, said: “It was scary, it was like being in a washing machine when it’s spinning. All the doors slammed, the windows were shaking. There was a huge wobbling, rattling noise and the next minute a huge chunk of slate roof fell off straight outside the front door.

“Luckily my husband and children arrived home about twenty minutes earlier. It could have killed someone.”

Jersey Fire & Rescue were called out just after 7pm to find a hole in the roof of about two square metres.

Firemen repaired the tiles that were still in place to make sure they wouldn’t get blown down overnight and covered up the hole with a waterproof sheet to stop the rain getting in.

Crew Commander Mark Walker said: “Thankfully no one was injured in this event, tiles from the roof did fall in to the yard of the property and could have caused a serious injury if someone had been in that area. Whilst this was an unforeseen accident it could serve as a timely reminder for property owners to have a quick inspection of their properties for any signs of damage that may have occurred over the last few weeks due to the high winds that we have experienced. The owner of this property should be commended for their quick actions in calling the FRS for assistance and keeping everyone inside, preventing possible injuries to their family and passers-by.”