A WOODLEY shop worker said it was lucky no-one was killed when scaffolding crashed down off a three-story building in the town's shopping centre on Monday. 

Several stores, including Waitrose and Iceland, were unable to open in the aftermath of Storm Katie, and some were still shut on Tuesday as health and safety experts investigated the extent of the damage.

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Sharon Wright, an assistant at Brighton's newagents, called the emergency services as soon as the events unfolded.

She said: "It all came crashing down between 7.10 and 7.20 in the morning.

  "One of the guys, about 70 years old, who helps us out here went to the Bosco Lounge and came back to say he had seen some tiles lying on the floor that had fallen off. 

"Then a young lad, about 20, walked in to the shop looking a bit white and a bit shaken. He just came back past when it collapsed. I then phoned 999. 

"The lad was very lucky." 

Strong winds are believed to have caused the scaffolding in Crockhamwell Road to come tumbling down early on Bank Holiday Monday morning.

The precinct was quiet at the time and Mrs Wright said it was fortunate that the structure did not fall the day before, when car boot sellers would have been setting up their stalls.

Mrs Wright added: "If it had been yesterday there would have been fatalities. 

"It was lucky kids are on holiday as they would have been doing paper rounds before school, or if it had happened on any other Monday morning it could have been a lot more serious." 

The scaffolding, which is enabling work to be done on properties above the shops, is covered by white plastic. 

But these large sheets "acted like sails" when the storm blew in and sent scaffolding as well as metal supports crashing down right in front of the Waitrose store.

Three fire engines, plus a heavy support vehicle from Dee Road station, were quickly on the scene and checked the site to make sure that no one was trapped under the pile of metal. 

The fire brigade and police both used tape to cordon off the crash site, keeping people back just in case the wind blew any more scaffolding down. 

Firefighter Lincoln Ball said: "We had Storm Katie last night [Monday] and it seems to have had an affect on Woodley town centre.

"The wind has caught the scaffolding and the protective plastic layer seems to have acted as a sail and the unexpected has happened because you would not normally expect this to happen.

"We cannot rule out another collapse."

Scaffolding experts, along with Health and Safety advisors, checked out the site before work could start and dismantling the large pile of twisted metal.

Mr Ball added that Thames Valley Police will report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive to be investigated.

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Work has begun on clearing up the pile of wood and metal.

One scaffolder on the site on Monday said: "I think it will be Wednesday before everything is cleared up."