Man shocked to find hole in side of his Shropshire house

Mark Jones, 44, had moved into the terraced property four weeks before an accident that has left the building too dangerous to live in.

The damage to the house in Scotland Street, Ellesmere, was caused by a giant hay bale that slipped off a passing trailer.

Luckily for Mr Jones he was out when the accident happened on Sunday night.

Today he spoke of his dismay at the accident, which has left him having to find somewhere else to live.

He said: "I had just signed a six month contract to rent the property.

"My bedroom is absolutely trashed.

"I was on a first aid biker's course at the time and had to come back early after my girlfriend alerted me to what happened.

"It was a huge shock to find out.

"My dog was in the house at the time and was frightened to death.

"Some of my furniture and clothes have been damaged.

"It has all been boarded up for now.

"I am in limbo at the moment and can't stay in the property until I have been told it is structurally sound and the hole has been repaired.

"All the cables have been broken so I can't get access to telephone, internet or TV.

"All the loose bricks have been piled up in my bedroom."

The hay bales hit the house when a trailer carrying circular hay bales tipped as it negotiated a mini roundabout.

The bales severely damaged one of the windows, destroyed guttering and left a gaping a hole in the outside wall.

Scaffolding has now been put up around the house and the footpath by it has been closed.

Surveyors have been instructed by Shropshire Council to inspect the building before it is decided if it can be saved. Inspections are also being arranged for neighbouring houses, which also suffered damage in the accident.

This was not the first time a property has been damaged on Scotland Street.

In July last year a car crashed into the wall of a house a few doors up the street.

At the time a structural engineer from Shropshire Council was requested by West Mercia Police to make sure the property was safe.

Mr Jones said there was a problem with speeding vehicles on the road.

He added: "About a year ago next door but two a car went into a house.

"I often see vans and cars cutting the roundabout and going so fast they bounce the house.

"There is a major problem with speed down here.

"I was just lucky to not be in the house at the time."