Collapse of roof causes Swindon sandwich shop to close (From Swindon Advertiser)

Collapse of roof causes Swindon sandwich shop to close

9:00pm Monday 7th January 2013 in News By Matthew Edwards

THE owner of a sandwich shop has said that it was lucky nobody was hurt when part of the roof caved in.

Owner Cheryl Hughes said the sight that greeted her was like a bomb site when she arrived to open up her Taste shop in Victoria Road, Old Town.

A large oval section of the roof above the counter had come loose and fallen through a glass cabinet.

The shop, which has been trading for six years, had been closed for the Christmas period and it was when Cheryl returned to open for business that she noticed a crack had appeared in the ceiling.

When she went into the shop on January 2, a section had collapsed, leaving rubble on the floor and the work counter.

The damage has forced the shop, which has a busy lunchtime trade, to close for the foreseeable future while a clean-up takes place.

Cheryl said: “I had been closed for the holiday period and returned to work on Wednesday.

“I noticed a crack in the ceiling above the counter and I informed my landlord who said it was probably nothing, but would get it looked at. “The next day at about 7.30am I came in and the roof had just collapsed.

“Erica, who works here, was stood in the doorway when I turned up and she didn’t want me to see inside.

“I noticed the chiller was filled with rubble and it was all over the counter. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“I have had to tell customers that I will be closed for the foreseeable future because we have to clear it up and make sure it is safe.”

Cheryl has noticed other cracks forming in the ceiling and is hoping to have them checked before reopening.

The closure is a blow to business, but Cheryl is glad nobody was hurt.

“We are just extremely fortunate that it happened overnight because it was right above the counter and there are usually two or three people standing around there during opening hours,” she said.

“Someone could have been very badly injured. The glass in the counter is very strong and it has gone through that like a knife through butter.

“There is a lot of rubble and mess to clear up. We are leaving it at the moment for the insurance company to see, and then will start clearing up and think about opening.”