By Beatriz Abreu Ferreira
Falling tiles caused by storm Ciara closed a street near the campus of De Montfort University and caused worry for students.
Lower Brown Street was closed near Newarke Street all day on Sunday, February 9, for traffic and pedestrians, due to the strong wind that knocked several tiles off the roof of Minster Court.
Ricardo Delgado, a DMU student who lives in the building, said: “I am part of the DMU futsal team, so I had to leave home early to watch a game and I was very surprised to see for the first time that the road was closed.
“I couldn’t understand what had happened until I received a letter from the building management explaining that some tiles were falling. “
The letter distributed to all residents by New Estate Management, the company responsible for the building, advised everyone not to use the road to “avoid injury or damage from further falls” and to “remain vigilant and exercise caution when moving by the external parts of the building.
“On Sunday, it was simply impossible to use the front door because it was so dangerous, you could easily be hit by a tile. And on Monday, the trail also flooded due to heavy rain and snow.
“The emergency services did the best they could, but this is always very annoying and causes many restrictions in people’s lives,” added Ricardo.
The Ciara storm was said to be the worst in the last seven years, with many similar incidents involving fallen trees and tiles being reported to the police in Leicestershire.
According to the Met Office, today(TuesFEB11) the storm should start to ease, with fewer showers, but it will remain noticeable with cold temperatures and wind.
