Crane 'in danger of collapse' as police rush to scene and site evacuated

'We were told it could be the early hours of the morning before road re-opens'

An eyewitness has revealed police officers manning a cordon at the scene have blamed today's issues on "a snapped cable".

Accountant James Morris has been forced to travel back to Manchester by rail this evening and abandon his car within the police cordon after parking it next to the building site.

He told the Mirror: "We were initially told it would be 90 minutes to two hours, then as more people were gathered waiting to get back to their cars, a sergeant came over and told us that a cable had snapped one one of the cranes and it had been declared a major incident.

"He told us engineers were en-route, but they weren't local and when they arrived they would have to assess the crane to see if it had to be dismantled or could be repaired – he said it could be the early hours before the road is open again."

When asked about theories Storm Debi high winds had played a part in today's incident, Mr Morris was doubftul, explaining: "To be honest it's not been that bad here. It's rained a bit but I don't think the weather's had anything to do with this.

"It's more about something going wrong with the actual crane."

Large parts of Leeds City Centre are cordoned off tonight, because of worries about an unstable crane

An industrial site on Whitehall Road near to the train station has been evacuated and it's causing disruption on the rails pic.twitter.com/ZhiGxGPtts

— Pulse 1 News (@pulse1news) November 14, 2023

Rail users warned to expect 'major disruption'

National Rail have confirmed that while rail services are now operating from Leeds, commuters can expect delays and cancellations for the rest of the evening.

Boy, 3, dies after being left in sweltering car in 34C heat 'throughout the day'

The company Tweeted from its official account: "#Leeds - Lines reopened: Major disruption at Leeds expected until the end of the day."

(PA)

Storm Debi takes its toll

Leeds had been braced for wind speeds of up to 65mph today as Storm Debi battered the UK. As part of that warning Brits were told to be on high alert for flying debris in winds that could reach as high as 70mph inland.

And to make matters worse for authorities trying to deal with this incident, the Met Office is predicting more unsettled weather this evening and on into tomorrow morning.

(PA)

Commuter chaos as roads closed and trains stopped

A large area of Leeds city centre has been cordoned off amid concerns the crane could topple onto nearby buildings.

It is understood engineers are racing to fix the problem and assess where the crane could potentially fall.

The disruption has left commuters facing travel chaos in the West Yorkshire city as numerous roads were closed an all trains in and out of Leeds central station stopped.

Offices in Wellington Place - including those of the Yorkshire Evening Post - were evacuated.

It is believed the incident involved one of two cranes operating on the banks of the River Aire.

Two fire crews attending 'unstable structure'

Fire crews on the scene are dealing with a "large crane" that has become unstable.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 13.36 to reports of an unstable structure on Riverside Way in Leeds.

"Two crews from Leeds are in attendance dealing with the structure which is a large crane. The area has been cleared of people - access is restricted and road closures are in place."

Police confirm people are being evacuated from buildings

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Police are at the scene following a report of an industrial incident involving a crane on Riverside Way, Leeds. It has been confirmed that there is no one on the crane.

"Access to the area has been restricted for pedestrians and road closures put in place. A number of buildings in the area are also being evacuated as a precaution.

"These closures are expected to be in place for some time and members of the public are advised to avoid the area and seek other routes. This is an ongoing incident and further updates will be provided in due course."

Are you in Leeds city centre? Let us know what's happening

Reports on social media say that people are being evacuated from apartment blocks while the public are being asked to avoid the area.