Storm Eunice: Dramatic moment 165-year-old church spire plunges to ground in extreme winds

‘We were all terribly shocked,’ the reverend of St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset said

The falling spire at St Thomas’ Church in Wells. Image: Steve Day/Twitter (Image: Steve Day/Twitter)

Strong winds from Storm Eunice have ripped off a church spire from a building that stood for 165 years.

Footage captured by Matt Hodson, 17, shows the top of the steeple of St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset swaying before it fell to the ground.

He told ITV News: “I was in my back garden and noticed the wind becoming much more violent.

“I was shocked - it was quite a surreal moment. I didn’t really expect it to actually fall - I was just filming just in case.”

The Grade II listed church was built in 1857 and was extended in 1864 by notable Gothic architect, Samuel Sanders Teulon.

Reverend Claire Townes, the priest in charge of St Thomas Church, said: “We were all terribly shocked, the building has been up since the late 1800s and the spire here can be seen from quite a long way away.”

“It’s quite a symbol around our community so we’re just really shocked that this happened,” she told Sky News.

She told ITV: “I literally thought to myself the church will be ok, it’s been here since Victorian times - and then two, three minutes later I had a telephone call from the police.”

The police wanted to meet to discuss the spire’s instability. When the Reverend returned home, she said she saw the spire fall from her window.

On the damage the storm has done to the church, Rev Townes said: “We’ve lost the top of our spire and that’s a huge loss, but it hasn’t led to loss of life and that’s the most important thing.”

She said she hoped the spire would be restored but did not know how much it might cost.

A big clean-up is now set to begin after Storm Eunice brought damage, disruption and record-breaking gusts of wind to the UK and Ireland, leading to the deaths of at least four people.

Eunice was one of the worst storms to hit the UK in a generation.

Damage to the O2 Arena roof caused by the wind (EPA)

The windy conditions led to deaths and injuries, along with travel disruption, flight cancellations, power cuts and police forces being inundated with calls.

The big clean-up could be hampered as yellow wind and ice warnings are in place across parts of the country.

For more, follow our live coverage of Storm Eunice here.