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18th Feb 2022

Storm Eunice sends church spire toppling in Somerset

Danny Jones

St Eunice storm topples church spire

‘It’s a miracle that this sizeable and very heavy spire tip didn’t hit anyone’

With its gale-force winds breaking records on Friday, footage is starting to emerge of the havoc Storm Eunice is causing across the UK, including the toppling of a church spire in Somerset.

An onlooker in Wells captured the moment the spire of the local Anglican church, St. Thomas, wobbles in the wind before, second later, falling to the ground.

The spire appears to have caused further damage as it slides down the structure and comes crashing down out of witness Matthew Hodson’s view. The spire then came to rest on a path outside the church.

Ian Fergusson tweeted that “it’s a miracle that this sizeable and very heavy spire tip… didn’t hit anyone.”

A red weather warning was issued across various parts of the UK overnight: the highest possible classification that warns of “danger to life” and “heavy disruption” due to instances of falling/flying debris.

As well as damage to structures, public transport, general travel arrangements, and even power supplies have been disrupted by the winds, which are said to have reached a national record of 122mph.

Some 200,000 people are currently watching as planes struggle to land at London’s Heathrow airport.

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