Storm Ciara's rampaging 70mph winds have caused devastation in a little English town after wrecking one of its historic windmills.
Onlookers were lucky not to be hurt as the blades were torn off Dobson's Mill, in Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire, on Sunday morning, splintering as they crashed to the ground in the town centre.
The broken pieces landed at the back of a tea room, leaving just a "stump" and caused damage to the nearby Burgh Heritage Centre, said one witness - while many have taken to social media to express their sadness, reports Lincolnshire Live.
Ciara, Britain's third named storm of the winter has left the country in chaos since arriving this weekend, with many people having to be evacuated from their homes.
Dan Carnelly wrote on Twitter, "200 years of history turned to splinters" before joking that Lincolnshire County Council "get their wish...They have wanted to close it for so long, now they can".
Joey Brazier, meanwhile, who was walking his dog at the time, said it had only recently been repaired and described how the incident had caused a power line to swing into a house.
He said: "It was horrendous, was walking the dog and it went with a right bang.
“Such a shame as it makes burgh as does the church. Emergency services were on it though."
Writer and photographer Alex Roddie added: “The cap and sails have been destroyed, and the Burgh Heritage Centre has also suffered roof damage.
“This is a major blow to the village.”
While another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see part of Lincolnshire’s heritage torn apart by the wind.
“Storm Ciara looks like it causing trouble across the county, but you hope these old buildings – which mean a lot to a lot of local people – can remain intact.
“It’s such a shame and so sad for the people who work on it.”
Angela Deacon said: "It is incredibly sad - I look outside now and all I can see now is a stump.
"It's heartbreaking to see.
"It's landed at the back of the tearoom and no one appears to be hurt."
Mary Bales said: “What a shame – I hope no one was hurt. This is terrible news.”
Debbie Framingham said: “I hope no one was hurt when this happened.
“This storm is doing so much damage everywhere.”
Others chimed in on social media to say the sad state of the windmill is ‘terrible’ and ‘sad’.
Storm Ciara has already caused a hotel to collapse into a river in Hawick, Scotland.
Footage of the incident shows the The Bridge House Guest House in Hawick, Scotland falling into the swirling torrents below.
The hotel had been taped off by emergency services at around 9.30am this morning as water began coursing higher and higher up the riverside establishment, The Daily Record reported.
Fire crews rushed to the scene when the side of the building collapsed into the water.
The innards of the building, including photographs still hung on the walls, could be seen from the street as the bulging river continued to flow below.
A number of the hotel’s guests and staff were seen spilling onto the street as chiefs worked to evacuate the building before the devastation.
Hundreds of people, meanwhile, have been evacuated from their homes in Blackpool, where the winds have caused the famous Big Wheel to rotate on its own.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled at airports across the UK, with Heathrow cancelling 472 flights, Gatwick 333 flights and Birmingham 101 flights.
The Humber Bridge, which connects East Riding of Yorkshire with North Lincolnshire, was closed to all traffic and pedestrians for only the second time in its history.
