Emergency services were quickly on the scene after a building collapsed in the centre of a Welsh town. It happened around 8.30pm on Sunday in Caernarfon when the back part of a property facing Poolside collapsed. The main entrance to the property is in Bridge Street.
The structure was vacant and there have been no reported injuries but the extent of the damage only truly revealed itself with the arrival of daylight. Speaking to NorthWalesLive a tradesman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “My wife and I were sat in the living room. I heard a rumble and thought it could have been a car. The teenagers go along [Poolside] and drive through the tunnel because their exhausts make quite a loud noise.”
It wasn’t long before emergency services were on the scene and he said: “That building has been empty for many years. There was scaffolding on it for over 10 years then they took it down. It has been allowed to go to wrack and ruin.”
Gaynor Morris, 57, who operates Caffi Cei adjacent to the damaged building, discovered the scene after returning around 8.45pm on Sunday. She confirmed: “We’re open as normal.”
Gaynor Morris
(Image: David Powell)
Noel Perkins, from Perkins Furniture and Flooring in Eastgate Street, said of the building: “It had been empty for decades. It had to go one day.” He said he believed the property had been empty for at least 36 years.
Scene of a collapsed building in Bridge Street, Caernarfon
(Image: David Powell)
Following the incident a spokesman for Cyngor Gwynedd confirmed on Monday several roads were temporarily closed but had later been able to re-open. They added: “Further assessments are being carried out today and Caernarfon Tunnel remains closed. The building was vacant at the time of the incident.”
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