Falling glass narrowly avoids people at bus stop
‘It was lucky no one in the queue for the bus was killed’
A window from a second floor flat fell to the ground onto busy pedestrian street.
People walking along the High Street, Maidstone, and waiting for buses narrowly avoided the falling glass on Tuesday. Passersby heard a loud crash as the frame fell from the residential property and hit the pavement outside TSB bank around midday.
Staff at the bank initially thought the sound was a gunshot.
A witness said: “I was just walking down the street and the next minute it was there in front of me. It probably would have killed someone.”
Staff members at Woods, a neighbouring business, said it was lucky no one was killed as they queued for the bus minutes before.
TSB employees swept up the debris to prevent pedestrians from walking along the glass-covered pavement.
Onlookers recalled there was a strong gust of wind before the windowpane smashed.
Security staff from One Maidstone called the police who promptly arrived and set up a cordon stopping pedestrians from walking below the building for fears of other open windows falling.
A Kent Fire and Rescue representative confirmed fire crews made the scene safe so there was no danger to the public.
People watched as they secured a ladder onto the side of the building and climbed up to the flats. They entered the flats through the open windows and closed the remaining open ones on the second floor from within.
To secure the frames in the flat above, they attached strips of strong black tape to the outside of the window.
Kent Police have confirmed there were no injuries as a result of the incident.
The officers were unable to contact the second-floor resident but informed the owners of the building, a business based in London, about the incident.