House partially collapses in 'horrendous' storm

A woman has said she and her daughter had only just moved out of a house which partially collapsed overnight during Storm Dave's "horrendous" winds.

Fire and rescue crews were called to Westbourne Avenue in Blackpool at about 06:45 BST.

Donna Hanna, who now lives at another property on the same road, said she had been shocked to see the substantial damage at her old home.

She added: "I think I'm still a bit in shock because I've literally just moved out with my daughter seven days ago."

Hanna said she felt "sick" thinking about what had happened, adding that she and her daughter had previously shared the front bedroom next to where the wall had collapsed.

"I can't believe it, to be honest - to think I was in it seven days ago."

She said she heard bins falling over and a lot of noise during the "absolutely howling" wind overnight and had not slept well as a result.

Another Westbourne Avenue resident said: "My neighbour heard a thud at midnight and the floor was moving - it might have come down then but it wasn't found until the early hours of this morning when a dog walker walked past."

A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson confirmed that the gable end of the property had collapsed into the alleyway next to it.

A spokesperson said: "It's been a busy night for crews here at Chorley Fire Station as Storm Dave made its presence felt across the county.

"Our Urban Search and Rescue Team were mobilised to Blackpool following reports of a building collapse, working alongside partner agencies to ensure the scene was made safe."

The incident happened as gusts in Blackpool were forecast to reach more than 70mph (113km per hour) on Saturday night.

The storm also resulted in debris being blown on to the beach while sea foam was sprayed on to the promenade, with a clean-up operation under way.

Further up the Fylde Coast in Morecambe, scaffolding was blown off the side of a building, landing on the road next to it.

This has also been cleared by the fire service.

Meanwhile, a tree blown over in Greater Manchester was cleared by Trafford Council staff.

A spokesperson for SP Electricity North West, which covers much of the region including Manchester, Lancashire, parts of Cheshire and Cumbria, said it was a busy night across Lancashire and Cumbria as wind speeds topped 70mph in both counties.

They said approximately 350 properties had lost power across the region.

Work to restore supplies is "well under way".

Storm Dave swept in on Saturday and an amber wind warning covering parts of northern England, north-west Wales and southern Scotland was in place until 03:00 on Sunday.

The strongest gust overnight was 93mph at Capel Curig in north Wales, while gusts of 75mph were recorded at Emley Moor in West Yorkshire and St Bees Head in Cumbria, and one of 73mph was recorded at Buchan in Aberdeenshire.

Met Office spokesperson Marco Petagna said: "The winds eased down a bit more quickly than forecast across Scotland, northern England and Wales.

"Storm Dave is pulling away and the warnings are easing more quickly than forecast so the yellow warnings were no longer warranted."

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