A church spire can be seen being ripped off in ferocious winds during Storm Eunice in terrifying footage.
Video caught the moment the top of the structure broke away and crashed to the ground at St Thomas' Church in Wells, Somerset, on Friday, while Britain saw record-breaking gales.
It smashed onto the path below and shattered, leaving a crack in the tarmac.
Reverend Claire Towns said nobody was hurt during the incident, but it has left the little community "terribly shocked".
The spire was first constructed in 1857 - a year after the church.
The vicar 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."
He added to Sky News : "But equally we're feeling very thankful that nobody was hurt or even worse killed."
If the wind - which hit 122mph on the Isle of Wight - had been blowing the opposite way, the spire would have toppled onto the Grade II listed church itself, explained Rev'd Towns.
She said church staff were "bracing ourselves" for the heavy winds, which led to two rare red warnings put in place by the Met Office.
However, she was more concerned for the trees because she figured the church has been here since Victorian times and so must have seen some intense weather.
"I took a call from the police asking if I would come and look at the spire and 'should it look like that ' and I went 'certainly not'," she said.
Minutes later she watched the spire and weather vane come plummeting to the ground.
Rev'd Towns said she is hopeful the spire can be restored, but was unsure of the cost.
Matt Hodson, 17, who filmed the footage, told ITV news that he noticed the wind take a sudden violent turn when he went into his back garden.
"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," he said.
The church said in a statement on Facebook : "Please do not come to the church to look at the fallen spire.
"We are awaiting the arrival of a structural surveyor as currently we cannot assure safety within the grounds until we know it is safe."
Millions of Brits were being warned to stay at home unless it was absolutely necessary on Friday.
Thousands of homes were left without power, while transport services were in chaos and schools and businesses closed.
The winds were stronger than those during the Great Storm of 1987 in which 18 people were killed.
