Bystanders were left in shock when a 10ft length of timber fell from a high street building narrowly missing people below.

Mum-of-one Laura Kirby, who had been waiting at a bus stop in Maidstone High Street at the time of the incident y says it was incredible no one was hurt.

She described how the piece of wood crashed on the pavement landing between her and three others.

“It was a miracle that it landed perfectly between us,” she said. “Chunks of wood flew off it but it all just bounced off us. It's a miracle no one was hurt.”

“It was so lucky that we didn't get hit. I don't believe in God but I might have to start.”

Laura, 29, was sitting as the bus stop facing the building while on the phone to her mum.

“I didn't register anything falling until the noise of it splitting,” she added.

“It was so loud I thought there had been a crash in the road behind me. I felt stuff hitting me and then I thought what on earth was that.

I opened my eyes and all these splinters were hitting us

“I opened my eyes and all these splinters were hitting us.

“It was about 10 feet long, and quite square. If it hit anybody square on I don't think they would be walking away. It would be at least a broken bone, if not worse.”

“There were four people - myself, a bloke who was standing up against the building and two teenage girls. Other people were around that saw it too.

“The younger of the teenage girls was a bit shaken - they just ran to get on the bus when it came.

Laura had been waiting at the stop for her husband and one-year-old son to arrive, and says if they’d been five minutes earlier her son could have been at the exact spot the timber landed.

It’s the second such incident to have happened at the same building, after a window fell from a second floor flat in 2019, again narrowly missing pedestrians.

After getting over the initial shock, Laura contacted Maidstone Council to report the incident, and says more needs to be done to maintain historic town centre buildings.

“You could see the wood was clearly rotten," she added. “It's not been maintained, it's not been looked after.

“I could see where it had come off the side of the building.

“I was speaking to the council and thought I'm just going to google to see if anything else has been reported, and came across the article from a few years back.

“I couldn't believe it was the same building.

“That bus stop is often used by people with kids, as well as elderly and disabled people. It's a very decorative building and there's a lot more trim on it, so I would make a point of not standing near it when I'm waiting for the bus.”

“How many of these buildings with decorative trim aren't being maintained?

“You see all these buildings in Bank Street and Mill Street - who is looking after them? You never see anybody up there doing maintenance.”

Maidstone Borough Council said it was aware of debris falling from the building, adding: “The building is privately owned, but the Council’s Building Control Team will be inspecting and providing safety advice to the owners, if appropriate.”

Estate agent Sibley Pares said they did not manage the property, but the situation had been reported to the owner, and they understood it was being dealt with.