Kentish Express Ashford & District
Near miss after roof falls in
Two boys narrowly avoided being hit by falling debris when part of County Square’s roof fell in at Friday lunchtime.
Brickwork at the Tufton Street entrance came loose in the high winds, smashing into the pitched glass above the On Pizza takeaway and ManCave barbers.
Broken glass, bricks and bird spikes were scattered across the floor as security staff rushed to evacuate shoppers from the centre.
When the Kentish Express closed for press yesterday (Wednesday), the Tufton Street entrance remained closed.
ManCave was shut off and On Pizza was offering a delivery-only service but the rest of the centre was open as usual.
On Friday, mum Lucy Currie was inside the shopping mall with her partner and daughter as the roof fell in.
“I was in Costa when the glass ceiling fell and smashed outside ManCave,” she said.
“We got evacuated out very swiftly by security.”
The 30-year-old said two boys had a very close call.
“It was terrifying but security reacted perfectly – the staff were very efficient,” she said.
After evacuating, Miss Currie, who was left shaken by the incident, got a taxi home with her family.
On its Facebook page, ManCave said it “can only apologise” for the disruption as “it really does mess us up”.
“We understand this is not ideal, but unfortunately it is beyond our control,” it added.
“It is now hitting us pretty hard.”
In a statement last week, County Square retail scheme director Stacey Bell confirmed no one was injured.
“Unfortunately as a result of Storm Eunice, falling debris hit atrium glass at the centre causing it to smash,” she said.
“Thankfully no one was hurt and the affected areas evacuated safely.
“With safety as our number one priority and the storm set to continue, we took the decision to close Ashford House and phase one of the centre immediately and monitor the situation.”
Elsewhere in the town centre, glass littered Wellesley Road after part of the frontage at the Pilgrims Hospice furniture store peeled off in the high winds.
The charity’s Sue Sharp said: “Friday’s unprecedented wind whistled through our Ashford furniture shop and literally ‘blew’ our windows out, leaving shattered glass across the pavement and in the shop.
“Our sincere thanks to the emergency glaziers, AW Glazing, who responded quickly and made the shop safe.
“Our thanks also to our Pilgrims drivers and dedicated volunteers who undertook a full clean so that we were ready to reopen our shop on Saturday.”
■ Additional reporting by Chantal Weller