HIGH winds and driving rain have continued to batter Ely overnight, with tiles and bricks flung from the roof of a shop in the city centre.

Passers-by had a lucky escape after bricks and tiles from the Dorothy Perkins store on Market Place were ripped from the roof by 60mph winds and onto the pavement below, right into the path of a busy pedestrian route.

Fortunately nobody was injured in the incident, which took place at about 5pm on Thursday evening, but the shop remained sealed off on Friday morning as officials from East Cambridgeshire District Council worked to clear the scene.

A temporary barrier of chairs and tape was put in place by shop staff until council officials arrived with metal barriers later that evening.

The roof of the building meanwhile, has been badly damaged.

A spokesman for ECDC said: “Following the masonry which fell into the Market Square, the district council was called for assistance. Initially we helped set up cordon and our building control officers are now assessing the damage to the building and what work the landlord will need to carry out to make the building and the area safe for the public.”