Roads have been sealed off and fire service are at the scene after strong winds brought by Storm Pia caused debris to fall from the roof of a Grade II listed building. 

Firefighters attended the scene of the Tower Ballroom on Newport Road in Middlesbrough after severe concern for debris falling on people's heads and damaging passing cars. 

Several cordons were put in place and traffic on the A66 slip road close to Newport Road has been prevented from driving on the section of road. 

A spokesperson for Cleveland Fire Brigade said: "Due to falling debris and public safety, the A66 slip road onto Newport Road is closing until further notice and A66 east slip road to Cannon Park is also being closed. Two crews from Middlesbrough Fire Station are at the location to provide any assistance needed alongside Cleveland Police."

An earlier statement also read: "We were called at 10.12am this morning to what was formally known as St Cuthbert's Church where the tower is being affected by the strong winds and parts are collapsing.

The incident comes after winds of more than 80mph battered the northern half parts of the UK as Storm Pia threatened to bring chaos to pre-Christmas travel plans.

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The Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind, stretching north from Birmingham to the Shetland Islands and including Northern Ireland, remaining in place until 3pm on Thursday.

That had been brought forward from 9pm as the Met Office said the worst of the wind was expected to be in the morning, with conditions slowly easing.

The yellow warning means journeys could be disrupted, there was the potential for power cuts and coastal routes could be affected by waves or spray.