A Glasgow dog walker had a lucky escape after a 'metal spire' fell from a tenement roof and pierced the front bumper of a nearby parked car.
The frightening near-miss took place on Wilton Street in the west end of the city while Melissa Kavanagh was out walking her pooch Ronnie near her home.
The 32-year-old says she she "dreads to think" what would have happened if she'd left the house just seconds earlier.
She told the Daily Record: "Ronnie and I were on his afternoon walk when we heard a cacophony above our heads.
"The first bang drew our attention to what appears to have been a seagull either flying into a window on the top floor or even hitting the roof.
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"Shortly followed by the 4ft cast iron railing [potentially a decorative feature, common to the turrets across West End tenement buildings] falling to earth in what seemed like slow motion.
"It was quite shocking to have been stood where the metal fell just seconds before impact.
"I dread to think what would have happened if we had left a couple of seconds later."
Melissa left a note on the car to explain to the owner how she had witnessed the freak incident in case they needed it for insurance purposes, but says she hasn't heard back from the owner yet.
She added: "I left a note for the car’s owner and let the blocks’ residents know what I had witnessed, as I would hate for them to think it was wilful damage or vandalism, just bad luck and potentially the result of a confused seagull.
"Not sure if that kind of force majeure is covered by car insurance."
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "Whilst there are many such decorative features on tenements throughout the city, thankfully incidents such as this are very rare.
"As ever, it is important to be aware that is the responsibility of property owners to maintain the fabric of their buildings."
