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Ring doorbell captures moment Storm Eunice rips roof from home in Linden Road, Ashford and narrowly avoids man taking out bins

By: Liane Castle lcastle@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 14:56, 23 February 2022

Updated: 15:04, 23 February 2022

A doorbell camera has captured the moment a roof 'flew like cardboard' across a road in Ashford – narrowly avoiding a man as he was taking out his bins.

John Fitzgibbon from Linden Road was in his front garden on Friday, while Storm Eunice was at its peak, when he saw the roof from his loft conversion fly past him out of the corner of his eye.

Watch the moment the roof was ripped apart

It crashed straight into his neighbour's roof and front bay window on the opposite side of the road causing extensive damage to the property.

A piece of lead also came down which narrowly avoided hitting Mr Fitzgibbon.

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The 56-year-old, who has lived on the road for eight years, said: "We are grateful no one was injured.

"I just went outside to put the bins into some kind of order and I walked back inside in shock. It was like a film.

"On Saturday morning all of the debris was cleared away and there was a tonne of felt left behind.

Mr Fitzgibbon with the sheet of lead that landed on the bin seconds after he moved it
'A tonne' of felt had to be cleared up over the weekend
The roof has been badly damaged. Picture John Fitzgibbon

"For it to fly across the road like cardboard shows the power of nature.

"It wasn't until I watched it back that I realised how close it was to hitting me."

With the roof damaged, Mr Fitzgibbon's home has sustained lots of water damage and he is waiting for a tradesman to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, the Esso garage in Hythe Road, less than 250 yards away, had to close after the roof of the forecourt was badly damaged by the strong winds.

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Further down in Mace Lane, a fallen tree blocked a footpath near the roundabout by Tesco Express.

The Esso garage in Hythe Road, Ashford was badly damaged by Storm Eunice (55023645)
A tree fell onto a path in Mace Lane. Picture: Andy Clark

Smashed cars, fallen trees and even a toppled power station tower were among Storm Eunice's casualties on Friday.

The county saw wind speeds reaching 90mph and waves crashing over sea walls.

The county-wide repair bill is set to reach into the millions following the damage dealt by the dangerous storm.

More than 23,000 people were also left without electricity.

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