A MAN was injured when a sewage pipe fell onto a car this morning.

The incident happened on Ranelagh Road, close to Weymouth train station at approximately 10.45am.

It is believed a passer-by sustained very slight injuries as a result of the pipe falling and one vehicle, a black Fiat Punto, has been damaged.

The road has been closed as a result of the incident.

Speaking at the scene, a spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “We were called to an incident at 10.45am this morning in which a methane sewage vent pipe had collapsed and fallen on top of a car.

“A road closure on Ranelagh Road has been put in place as a precaution and will be re-opened once Wessex Water have attended and dealt with the sewage pipe.

“One vehicle was damaged as a result and one passer-by received very slight injuries in the form of a scratch from when the pipe fell and then bent back up.

“The man, aged in his 30s, has now gone to the immediate care unit at Weymouth Community Hospital on Dorchester Road.

“As a result of the incident train services have been moved to a different platform but other than this are unaffected.”

One Ranelagh Road resident, 37-year-old Wayne Cardy, said he heard a ‘huge bang’ at approximately 10.45am this morning.

He added: “It sounded like a door had been broken down but when I looked outside my window I saw the huge metal sewage pipe had fallen down on top of a car.

“It’s not something you see every day that’s for sure, I was really worried about anyone walking by at the time but I believe there were no serious injuries.

“The worst thing is that the sewage pipe has been wobbling in the bad wind recently, I asked the council to do something about it but they didn’t and now this is the result.

“I can’t believe the pipe actually came down, it looks incredibly heavy – but hopefully now something will be done about it.”

Another passer-by Lisa Webber, 39, said when the pipe fell it also left a cut on her 47-year-old husband Ian's face.

She said: “We were shocked more than anything, another man on the same side of the road as the pipe almost got hit - it was very dangerous.”

A Wessex Water spokeswoman said: “A sewage vent column had fallen during strong winds.
“As soon as we were made aware of the incident we were on site to remove the column and make the area safe.

“The road was reopened quickly and we are looking into why this happened.”