AN INVESTIGATION was launched last night after heavy chunks of metal crashed to the ground from Aberdeen’s Town House roof, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
The metalwork fell from the top of the council building and smashed on to the pavement at the corner of Broad Street and Union Street, beside a crossing, just after 1pm yesterday.
One woman described the horrific moment she watched as the heavy lead almost hit a young woman – and how passers-by were scared to help her as they feared they would be hit.
Meanwhile, high winds and rain caused chaos across the north-east last night as weather conditions deteriorated.
In the city, a car was badly damaged by a toppling tree in Bedford Road and part of the A93 Aberdeen-Banchory road was blocked when branches fell as near gale-force gusts hit the region.
Last night, an Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said the authority was not sure exactly what had fallen to the ground from the Town House, nor where the metal had come from.
But the local authority’s leader, Councillor Barney Crockett, insisted everything was being done to ensure the A-listed building was safe.
“We are putting everything into finding out the cause and I can reassure the public that we are treating this as a priority,” he said. “We have people working right to the top of the spire to find out where the metal has come from.”
A section of Broad Street and Castle Street was closed to pedestrians into the night following the incident, while the left-turn lane from Broad Street into Castle Street was also cordoned off.
“The pavement will be kept clear until we have determined that everything is fine,” Mr Crockett said.
The council spokeswoman confirmed that specialists had been called in to carry out initial investigations on the building, including the ornamental clock tower and spire.
“Steeplejacks are surveying the roof and taking photographs meantime,” she said. “If they find anything loose, they will secure it with netting.”
At the scene yesterday, one woman said she was amazed the pedestrian who was almost hit by the falling metal was not seriously injured considering the size of the pieces and the force with which they had come down.
Margaret Winton, who lives in the city, said she was astounded no one had been killed. “It missed her by inches,” she said. “It was terrifying. My heart just stopped.
“She was incredibly shaken up. We were all scared. We wanted to rush to help her, but we were petrified that there was more to come. We made sure she was OK, though, and she walked off without a scrape.”
The 70-year-old said she was concerned there might be a repeat if the council could not establish quickly where the metal had come from.
“I hope that no one else is put in such danger and they discover quickly what happened,” she said.
Police were called to the scene to divert people from the area following the incident and the debris was removed by council workers.
A paramedic car was already at the scene to treat a woman who had fallen nearby in an unconnected incident.
Councillor Ian Yuill, leader of the city’s Liberal Democrats, who was outside the Town House when the accident happened, said he was relieved no one had been hurt.
“If one bit of the building comes down, then the integrity of the roof is lost,” he said.
“But that’s why everyone involved is working hard to find out what went on.”
The Town House dates back to the 1870s and includes the municipal offices, court houses and the Tolbooth.
The tall, dominating tower is a major landmark in the city. The building was given grade A-listed status in January 1967.