Mum’s shock as marquee blown into garden
A MUM said she and her baby were “lucky not to be hurt” when a huge marquee was uprooted and blown onto their home in high winds.
Shauna Fury, 27, said she heard a “huge bang” at around 1.30pm on Monday and ran to the back of the house in Lime Street, Gorseinon, to find a massive marquee from a nearby rugby club on top of her garage and leaning on telephone wires in her garden.
She said: “I got in contact with the police as I was concerned someone was going to get hurt. By the time I had called them the marquee had risen upwards, flipped over, and pushed further into our garden. I ran upstairs as it woke my 19-month-old daughter and made her quite frightened. When I came back downstairs and into our kitchen, the marquee came rushing onto our home.”
Shauna added that the structure ended up “on top” of her kitchen before the fire brigade and members of Gorseinon Rugby Club, where the marquee originated from, arrived to remove the twisted structure. As well as pulling down telephone wires, Shauna said the marquee tore off her neighbour’s shed roof as well as damaging the roof on her own shed.
“Luckily, no-one was hurt, that was my main concern. It could have come through my kitchen window if it hadn’t flipped over,” she said.
The marquee was placed at Gorseinon Rugby Club to allow customers to be served outside until pubs reopen indoors later this month.
Andrea Thomas, bar manager at Gorseinon Rugby Club, apologised to the people whose homes had been damaged after the structure came loose in Monday’s gales.
“It was all tied down at the side of the club. It’s in pieces now and some of the poles have actually snapped. That was the only shelter we had outside so we’re praying for good weather or we’ll have to shut if it rains. It’s really unfortunate that it happened and apologies to the neighbours whose garden it landed in,” she said.
Andrea added that the fire brigade as well as junior team coaches, committee members and youth players from the club helped to recover the marquee, which is no longer useable.
A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said: “South Wales Police received a call at around 1.05pm yesterday afternoon, Monday, May 3, following reports of a marquee having blown away. Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended. Attendance of police was not needed.”