TWENTY-three workers were evacuated after a two hundredweight coping stone crashed down from the roof of a Burnley mill.

The huge stone slab shattered into small pieces in the car park and access road at Birchall Catering Supplies, Trafalgar Mill, Trafalgar Street.

Four other stones were in a dangerous condition and the road was closed and diversions were put into operation. Advertising hoardings were also ripped off a nearby wall by the high winds.

The company's operations director Justin Birchall said: "The one which came crashing down exploded in the yard. Fortunately there was no-one out there at the time, thank goodness."

The evacuation worked smoothly and the workers were sent for an early lunch. They returned in the afternoon, working at the far end of the building away from the danger area.

Station officer Brian Rees said: "Four of the coping stones looked as though they could fall off at any moment. Had we removed them that would have left the roof exposed and if that wind had got under the slates the whole roof could have lifted off."

The area was cordoned off until the wind died down and builders brought in to carry out repairs.

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