Weather damage caused King's masonry fall

Published on Monday 16 June 2008 10:30

AN investigation into why a piece of masonry fell from the roof of the King's Theatre has determined that the accident was caused by weather damage.

The heavy piece of red sandstone, about eight inches square, fell around 65ft before smashing on to the pavement on Tarvit Street in the incident last month.

Police closed off the surrounding roads while council workers carried out an immediate inspection of the building to make sure it was safe.

They then began an assessment of the remaining stonework and started a full check on the condition of the building.

That led to a further four pieces of masonry deemed a potential hazard being removed, and the council has now admitted a more detailed survey was being considered for the building, which is in line for a 20 million refurbishment to bring it up to modern standards.

A council spokeswoman said: "An initial investigation found that general weathering had caused the piece of stonework to fall from the King's Theatre and, as a precaution, four similar pieces of masonry were removed.

"The remainder of the facade was found to be safe. A more extensive survey is now being considered."