Turbine terror as blades are ripped off in storm
ADOG walker watched in horror as Storm Barbara blew the blades from a wind turbine - and they headed towards him.
Grandfather Ray Gansler was walking on the hills near Bacup with his Staffordshire Bull Terrier Lucy at around 2.30pm on Friday, December 23.
High winds and heavy rain caused disruption to roads and buildings around the region on Friday afternoon.
Ray, 50, said: “I heard a noise that sounded like the squeak of a van and then I saw the blades of the turbine had come off and were coming towards me very quickly.
“I just hit the ground and covered Lucy.
“To me it seemed like it was coming close to me and then the wind caught it and smashed it into a field.”
One of the four 34.2m high wind turbines on land at Scar End Farm is now missing its three blades and central hub; they landed in a nearby field full of saplings.
Mr Gansler, from Weir, said: “As the blades dug into the ground it didn’t half make a loud noise.
“It frightened my dog and it frightened me. It made such a loud bang and I didn’t know if the blades were going to come off.”
He raised the alarm with the owner of the land where the turbines are based and also contacted the police.
Mr Gansler said: “The turbine nearest the farm had switched off, but the other two were still spinning around at a rapid speed. I was worried that if another one broke off and landed on the other side of the hill there are houses nearby.
“When you see something like that coming towards you, you really think it is going to hit you.”
TGC Renewables applied for the wind farm at Scar End in 2012 and was initially rejected permission by Rossendale Borough Council following public objection.
That decision was over- turned later that year on appeal by the planning inspector.
Gary Davis, owner of Scar End Farm, said: “The four wind turbines located at Scar End Farm are on private land and as such for obvious reasons no unauthorised access is permitted.
“If the surrounding legiti- mate Rights of Way are adhered to then the turbines should pose no danger to the public.”