Falling Ice Block Destroys Roof

A West Sussex couple's home insurance providers can be forgiven for thinking they had misread one particular claim form, after it told of how the roof of the pair's home was damaged when a block of ice fell through it. 

The huge block, thought to have fallen from a plane, smashed a 2ft hole in Vince Foot's flat in Summerdale Court in Chichester, with tiles and debris flung across a 30ft area due to the impact. 

Mr Foot, who initially thought the collision's noise had been caused by thunder, said: "I tried to open the spare bedroom door and it wouldn't move. When I forced it open, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was an enormous hole in both the roof and bedroom ceiling and there were great chunks of ice everywhere. 

"It is such a freak incident but it could have been so much worse. Tiles and roof debris have been scattered nearly 30ft, so I don't want to imagine the force with which it hit." 

Pete Windsor, of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "This is one of the strangest incidents we've been called to. We are just relieved that nobody was hurt and that we were able to offer them some assistance. They have had a miraculous escape really."