Sunderland pub owners tell of their shock after gable end smashes van

The owners of a Sunderland pub have told of their shock after gale force winds brought down the side of their building.
By Verity Ward
Published 27th Jan 2019, 16:20 BST
Updated 27th Jan 2019, 16:25 BST
Stephen McBride outside his pub The Hendon Grange.Stephen McBride outside his pub The Hendon Grange.
Stephen McBride outside his pub The Hendon Grange.

Stephen and Pauline McBride were left horrified when dozens of bricks fell from their pub The Hendon Grange in Ocean Road, Grangetown, at about 1pm today.

The pub which stands on the corner of the street had been battered by gusts of over 40mph.

Stephen McBride outside his pub The Hendon Grange.Stephen McBride outside his pub The Hendon Grange.
Stephen McBride outside his pub The Hendon Grange.
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Mrs McBride was in the living quarters of the business when she heard a strange noise.

She said: “I didn’t really know what it was, it was just a very weird noise, we’d not long opened up for the day.

“At first I thought it was the satellite dish falling off the wall, as the pub is rather exposed to the elements and it had been battered by the wind all day.

“But then when we looked and we seen all the bricks we were rather shocked.”

The gable end of The Hendon Grange collapsed onto a van which was parked outside the pub.The gable end of The Hendon Grange collapsed onto a van which was parked outside the pub.
The gable end of The Hendon Grange collapsed onto a van which was parked outside the pub.
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Crews from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue’s Central Station attended the scene and cordoned off the side of the pub.

Officers also removed additional bricks to make the area safe while the public was urged to stay away.

Their Twitter account tweeted: “Crews from #Sunderland Central Fire Station are dealing with a gable end in a dangerous condition due to high winds in #Hendon #Sunderland.

“Please avoid the Ocean Road area #Staysafe.”

The Hendon Grange in Grangetown, Sunderland.The Hendon Grange in Grangetown, Sunderland.
The Hendon Grange in Grangetown, Sunderland.

Many of the bricks had fallen onto a white van below and smashed its windscreen.

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Mr McBride said: “We’ve contacted the owner of the van to let them know there’s been a bit of a problem with it.

“But I guess I am going to have a few phone calls to make on Monday to sort all of this mess out.”

The high winds are expected to ease off by tonight with sunny spells and highs of 5C predicted for tomorrow.