Falling ice block rips through caravan roof
A 3ft block of ice plummeted from the sky and crashed through the roof of a static caravan on the Shropshire border while its owner slept.
Caroline Guy believes the ice fell thousands of feet from a plane. It landed in the bathroom and went straight through the floor before breaking into smaller pieces – some of which are now being stored in Mrs Guy's freezer.
The 52-year-old was in bed at her cottage in Pattingham about 10 yards away when she was woken by a 'huge smash'.
But she thought no more of it as she saw no sign of any trouble when she looked out of the window.
Her mother Daphne, 75, was helping clear the garden at the property off Patshull Road later on Saturday morning when she discovered the wreckage.
A gaping hole has been left in the roof, with insulation hanging down, while mirrors and doors have been broken.
Mrs Guy, who runs the Cowshed restaurant in the village, had lived in the caravan for two years until November while her new barn conversion home was being fitted out.
She was planning to clean it in the coming days before putting it up for sale – and says she could easily have been in the bathroom when the ice landed.
"I was in total disbelief when I saw what had happened," said Mrs Guy, who has a 27-year-old son and 25-year-old daughter.
She added: "I just thank goodness I wasn't still living in it as, at that time of the morning, I could have been in that room.
"It could have hit my house or car. I'm still quite shaken and I can't believe it. The bang was very loud and the house is well insulated, so it must have been big for me to hear it.
"I looked out of the window and couldn't see anything so I forgot about it."
Mrs Guy has e-mailed the Civil Aviation Authority with details and is now looking into what to do next.
Experts from the authority have previously estimated there are only around 35 similar reported cases a year.
The cause is thought to be water leaking from pipes and seeping out of aircraft before freezing.
In the past 40 years during which the CAA have kept figures there have only been five recorded cases of people being hit by such ice.