Weather blows wind turbines to pieces

Huge turbine blades were wrenched off three structures by the strong wind. One turbine affected by the weather was on the aptly-named Windmill Lane in Huddersfield.

The firm who made the damaged turbines in the Hepworth and Upper Cumberworth areas of the town has promised a full investigation. Villagers in Hepworth warned: “Someone could have been killed,” after one of the blades was flung across a road.

Ryan Gill, of manufacturers Evoco, blamed the exceptionally strong winds for the damage.

The Evoco website claims the 10kw turbine has been “specifically designed to reliably deliver high generation performance in harsh wind conditions”. The windmill in Hepworth was ripped apart in the gale force winds. The blades on the 12 metre mast are over two metres long.

Frances Barnes, who has 10 acres of grazing land for horses close to the Hepworth turbine, said: “It is worrying.

“People objected to the plans when they first went in – not because it is a windmill but because it is so close to a busy road.

“It is frightening to think what may have happened had one of the blades flown into the road and hit a car, or indeed if the wind turbine had come down.”

Last month, a 300ft wind turbine exploded when it was buffeted by high winds in Scotland.

The wind turbine at Ardrossan Wind Farm, near the A78 in North Ayrshire, was destroyed after it caught fire. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service said the turbine could be seen “far and wide”.