Witness to Kenilworth banner collapse says incident could have been 'horrendous'

The bracket which fell from Savers and rolled towards Zizzi. Photo: Kenilworth Fire Station

At around 11.50am, high winds blew down the banner and brickwork attached to Savers on the west side of the road.

Town councillor Richard Hales was walking around 40ft away from the banner when it came down.

He said: "The banner was jumping up and down, and then a bracket [holding the banner] came away from Savers. It caught an elderly gentleman on the arm.

The fire service attended within minutes. Photo: Keniworth Fire Station

"If it had landed an inch ahead of him it could have been horrendous."

The store manager at Savers called an ambulance and the police, who then requested the fire service should attend.

A crew from Kenilworth Fire Station arrived within minutes. They used a ladder to remove loose brickwork and the rest of the banner.

A structural engineer attended to check the stability of the building.

The brickwork and bracket came down from Savers. Photo: Kenilworth Fire Station

Emergency services were at the scene for around an hour and a half.

A spokesman for Kenilworth Fire Station said: "Miraculously nobody was seriously injured in this incident. A passerby sustained a minor cut to their arm, they were attended to by paramedics and required no treatment in hospital."

Cllr Hales said he sent in a report to Warwick District Council, who are responsible for putting the banner up. He said the council were looking into the incident.

A spokesman for Warwick District Council said: “We are currently investigating this incident with our contractors. We commend the Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service for their prompt response yesterday.”