Gale force winds blow 50 tonne roof off Scottish court building

A court has been plunged into chaos after part of the roof blew off in a storm.

Gale force gusts tore a sheet of metal weighing more than 50 tonnes off the top of the Livingston Sheriff Court complex at the weekend.

The debris flew through the air “like a wet sail” punching a hole in the roof of the court building before landing on the roof of the cell block below.

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Witnesses said the crumpled metal looked like a sausage roll shaped piece of corrugated cardboard.

Gale force gusts tore a sheet of metal weighing more than 50 tonnes off the top of the Livingston Sheriff Court complex at the weekend  picture: suppliedGale force gusts tore a sheet of metal weighing more than 50 tonnes off the top of the Livingston Sheriff Court complex at the weekend  picture: supplied
Gale force gusts tore a sheet of metal weighing more than 50 tonnes off the top of the Livingston Sheriff Court complex at the weekend picture: supplied
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As a result of the extensive damage there was nowhere to hold prisoners due to appear in court and all business scheduled for Monday had to be delayed or transferred to Edinburgh.

Engineers found on inspection that Perspex rooflights on top the cell block had been smashed by the impact and extensive damage had been caused to the roof of the cells.

In the main building a hole was punched through the ceiling of the sheriffs’ library allowing water to pour onto a large table in the centre of the room although the valuable collection of legal reference books around the walls was not damaged.

The library was isolated from the building's electricity supply until damaged cables hanging from the ceiling could be repaired.

An emergency patch was applied to the outside of the hole to prevent further water damage.

Insiders said one of the courtrooms was also out of action because rainwater was dripping onto the sheriff’s bench.

As part of a contingency plan, criminal cases in the Sheriff and Justice of the Peace courts were being dealt with “administratively”.

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Civil court business was said to be going ahead as normal because the ordinary courts were located in parts of the building not directly affected by the roof damage.

However, a High Court jury trial which has been running at Livingston for five days had to be postponed until tomorrow/Tuesday morning.

Arrangements were being made to bus jurors to Edinburgh High Court so they can continue hearing evidence against 19-year-old Dillon Mannarn.

The Edinburgh teenager denies 32 mainly sexual offences including six rapes and allegations of extorting indecent images from young girls.

The Civic Centre in Livingston, West Lothian, is shared by West Lothian Council, Police Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service COPFS).

An initial assessment found that part of a new pitched roof aimed at solving persistent leaks in the 11-year-old building’s flat roof had become detached as a result of the high winds.

Building managers brought in a heavy duty mobile crane on Monday morning and erected scaffolding to allow workers to cut up the crumpled metal sheet so that it could be removed in sections.

A West Lothian Council spokesman said: “A section of a new pitched roof that is currently under construction was damaged by the wind in the early hours of Saturday morning.

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“Staff from the Civic Centre partners are onsite to deal with the matter and contingency plans have been put in place.”

A spokesman for SCTS said: “The situation has been reviewed this morning and work has to be done on the roof to make it safe.

“The cells will remain closed tomorrow and the continuity plans will continue to be used with some business being transferred to Edinburgh but most being dealt with administratively.

“The court building and public counters will be open tomorrow and courts will continue to hear civil business.

“The situation will be reviewed tomorrow afternoon and a decision taken then about business scheduled for Wednesday.”