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An investigation is underway after a temporary roof spanning 36 metres over The Sands Centre in Carlisle was torn apart by Storm Éowyn’s hurricane-force winds.
The incident occurred on Friday (24 January) as the storm battered Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, bringing up to 100mph gusts.
The huge temporary roof was installed as part of the venue’s repair works, which had been addressing structural issues involving Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
The ferocious winds overwhelmed the structure, but fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Ryan Payne, Operations Director at JMAC Group—the company responsible for the roof and scaffolding works on site—addressed the incident on social media, stating,
“This is our roof, and myself and the fellow Directors will be sharing everything from cradle to grave in terms of investigation on how this occurred and how we can prevent it reoccurring in the industry in the future.”
He added that industry leaders are involved in the ongoing investigation, and updates will be provided in the coming weeks.
Storm Éowyn has been described as one of the most intense weather events to hit the region in decades, leaving a trail of destruction across parts of the UK and Ireland.
The storm’s violent winds caused widespread disruption, with fallen trees, damaged buildings, and power outages reported.
In the wake of the incident, industry experts are likely to scrutinise the design, installation, and maintenance of temporary roofing structures to ensure lessons are learned and similar occurrences are prevented in the future.
The JMAC Group has expressed gratitude for the messages of support received and emphasised that safety remains their top priority.
As the investigation progresses, the company aims to provide transparency and share findings to help improve standards across the industry.
The Sands Centre, a major venue in Carlisle, remains closed as repair works continue.
We have reached out to JMAC Group for an official comment but are awaiting their response.
