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Building to be demolished after partial collapse leaves dangerous structure

A building on the High Street, Berkhamsted, Herts has been now been re-assessed following a partial collapse last week.

The owners (Sorbon Estates) are working with Dacorum Borough Council structural engineers to make the building safe.

High winds made it difficult to provide internal support to the building and it has now been decided that it is no longer possible to retain the building structure.

The site owners are organising controlled demolition. Roads will be closed and councils structural engineers will continue to monitor progress.

The incident was filmed from the upstairs window of an adjacent building. The footage shows dust and debris swirling into the air in the moments after the former shop collapsed.

The 105-second YouTube video provides close-up shots of building and action by police and fire crews.

Engineers are reported to have stated that the collapse may be have been caused by partial removal of a load-bearing wall.

This article was posted on 8th February 2011 in ALL LATEST NEWS, INCIDENTS, STRUCTURAL SAFETY.
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