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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Lewis Smith

Storm Eunice blows roof off Merthyr school

Part of a roof has been blown off a high school in Merthyr Tydfil as the force of storm Eunice continues to sweep the country.

Bishop Hedley Catholic High School, based in Penydarren, could be seen on Friday morning with a large portion of the roof blown off as passers by snapped pictures.

It is just one of a number of incidents to hit Wales in what is being described as the worst storm to hit the UK in 30 years.

You can read more of our stories from Merthyr here

Thankfully, the school, like almost all others in Wales, was shut down today due to the foreseen impact of Eunice, meaning students from the Merthyr catholic school were already doing their learning online.

Storm Eunice has been described as one of the "most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years," causing winds of up to 100 mph and flood warnings in place across Wales on Friday, February 18.

You can keep updated with impact of the storm in Wales here.

Councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, shared a picture of the school on his Twitter page and said that despite criticism, the closure of schools across Wales were in place to keep people safe.

He said: "When people criticise councils for closing schools in a Red/Amber warning with winds 70 to 80mph I’d point out this is a school in a neighbouring county today! They are only closed to keep people safe.

A spokesperson from Merthyr council said while part of the roof has blown off the school, the structure of the building remains intact.

They said: "Part of the flat roof has blown off the gym in the lower school building (phase 1) but the internal ceiling and building structure remain intact.

"The building internally has been made safe and debris will be removed from the school grounds this weekend as soon as the weather permits.

"Repair work will be assessed and carried out early next week."

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