THOUSANDS of pounds worth of damage was caused when scaffolding and a temporary roof crashed on to the main shopping street of a town.

Engineers have been assessing the damage in Middle Street, in Consett, after a roof fell on to the street below.

Early indications are that the repair bill will run into thousands of pounds.

No-one was injured in the incident, which happened shortly before 1am last Thursday, but police had to cordon off a significant part of the pedestrian area and nine businesses - including branches of Greggs, Superdrug and Lunn Poly - were closed for the day, costing further thousands in lost takings.

Contractors from Castleshop Fittings have been repairing the roof of the Britannia Arcade over the past few weeks and last week's high winds ripped a temporary covering off the landmark Victorian building, which dragged scaffolding and debris down into the street.

Staff from the Health and Safety Executive have visited the site and an investigation is now under way. Inspector Robert Hirst said: "The wind has got under the roof covering and brought the scaffolding down with it.

"We have now completed our initial investigations at the scene and we will now be looking at the underlying issues behind the incident."

Teams of engineers from Durham County Council also visited the scene to start the process of clearing the debris and they will also be assessing the extent of damage to the street.

First indications are that the roof damaged a street lighting column, benches, litter bins and paving but had narrowly missed neighbouring properties.

A spokesman for the Britannia Building Society said: "Fortunately, it was in the early hours so there were no injuries.

"The branch has been closed today but we are very hopeful that we will reopen in the morning.

"We are obviously sorry for any inconvenience caused to our customers and other road users."