STRONG winds meant emergency repair works had to be carried out after a parapet at the top of a house came loose.

Part of East Hill in Colchester had to be closed by police whilst contractors worked to make the area safe amidst concerns for drivers and pedestrians.

A homeowner had raised the alarm after noticing the parapet at the top of their property seem to have become loose.

J Baldwin Building Services and AD Mitchell Electrical Contractors were called in to inspect the property.

Alistair Mitchell, owner of AD Mitchell Electrical Contractors, said he instantly knew the public were at risk.

“When we arrived we realised it was very dangerous and it was going to collapse on to the pavement.

“Due to where it was, we decided to call out the police.

“The police arrived quickly and called in a second vehicle to close the road whilst we worked.”

East Hill was shut from around 10am yesterday for roughly an hour whilst the firm used a cherry picker to access the wall.

The brickwork was carefully removed so as not to pose any risk to members of the public down below.

Mr Mitchell said: “It eventually fell away from us on to the pavement below.

“If we had not taken it down it probably would have come down on its own and could have landed on someone.”

The company director, who has run the Great Bromley firm for around 15 years, said the wall had probably suffered water damage over a significant period of time.

He added: “Its condition would not have been helped by the bad weather recently.

“The strong winds could have easily brought it down if we had not got there.

“It was nice to see traders working together with the help of the police to get things done quickly.”

There were some delays in the area whilst the contractors worked at the scene.

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