A brand new £600,000 property in the North East has been left severely damaged after a large tree crashed through its roof during Storm Boelo. The home, located on Antiquary Drive in Darlington, suffered structural damage as the tree tore through the entire roof of the building.
The new-build was understood to be only weeks away from welcoming its first residents, but has instead been left with a gaping hole running down the centre of the property. Photographs show a branch that sliced clean through the roof, also taking out one of the windows below. Part of the surrounding fence was similarly destroyed by falling debris.
A cordon was erected around the property, which sits on a new housing development in the town, with roof tiles visible hanging precariously from the remnants of the structure, reports Teesside Live.
Wider disruption across the region
The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning on Friday, cautioning that gusts of up to 60mph were forecast to batter the region throughout the weekend. The North East faced significant disruption, with train delays, diverted flights and cancelled ferries. The Metro was also suspended in part due to fallen trees on the line.
The A66 was shut in both directions between County Durham and Cumbria on Sunday due to the powerful winds. Additionally, several flights were forced to divert after failing to land at Newcastle Airport.
Power outages and restoration efforts
Northern Powergrid confirmed that the storm had inflicted considerable damage to its network, leaving more than 127,000 customers facing disruption. Yesterday, the firm revealed that 13,000 customers were expected to remain without electricity overnight.
This morning, the company stated: "The challenging weather conditions are significantly affecting our network and our ability to work safely to carry out repairs. Strong wind impacts our ability to work at height, and it can take longer to get the power back on. We are working to restore final customers that have been impacted by Storm Boelo today."
