By Press Release
Police have confirmed that roof tiles which smashed onto the pavement in High Street, Newport, twice this week were thrown from the top of the Card Factory.
The IW Observer spoke to a local shopkeeper who said that youths had climbed onto the roof of the Poundland building and thrown the tiles and roof battens down on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. It is believed that they accessed the roof from a fire escape at the rear of the building that it is difficult to make secure due to health and safety rules.
Police issued two statements, the first just to say they had attended the scene on Tuesday and the incident was being dealt with by highways. An Island Roads spokesman said: “We received a call around 3.30am from the police about tiles which appear to have fallen from a roof. “We have closed off the footway for safety reasons and referred the matter to building control who initially deal with such issues.”
However, after the second incident, they confirmed: “We were called at 7.36am on Wednesday, to reports of criminal damage to a roof on Newport High Street overnight.
“Tiles were thrown from a roof and debris had been located in the road.” The area was again secured.