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Moment Seaham building fell down caught on CCTV
This is the moment the roof of a partially-collapsed building finally gave way – as shoppers walked just metres away.
The CCTV footage was captured from Byron Place shopping centre, which faces where the shop once stood in South Terrace, Seaham.
The front of the building, believed to date back to the 1800s, first crumbled at about 5.30am on Friday during the rain. But the second collapse happened in broad daylight on Saturday, as shoppers made their way between the centre and Church Street.
An assessor from the insurance company for landlord Gurdeep Bhondi was due to visit the site yesterday, with the remaining rubble expected to be removed by a demolition team.
Full clearance could take place within days.
Mr Bhondi believes the weight of snow which fell during the winter could have caused the collapse.
He said: "Nine inches of snow is said to weigh a tonne, and we had 14 inches of snow.
"There's lots of rumours going round, like the rest of Church Street is going to come down, but they're not true."
Mr Bhondi has planning permission to create three retail units and 12 flats on the corner of South Terrace and Church Street and hopes to begin work once the economy recovers from the recession.
He added: "We're waiting for the banks to start lending – that's why you don't see any builders around at the moment."
A spokesman for Durham County Council said it has made regular inspections of the site since Friday and put in measures to protect the public.
He said: "On Saturday evening, the first floor and part of the roof structure collapsed with all of the debris falling within the protected area.
"This second collapse was again inspected on Sunday morning and no further action was deemed necessary.
"Despite the collapse, the general public were not put at risk and the adjoining buildings remain in a stable condition.
"Regular inspections have continued since the initial collapse of the front elevation while the condition of the remainder of the property is assessed and discussions are being held with the building owner."
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Weather for Sunderland
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
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Wind Speed: 10 mph
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