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10
May 2024
Heavy rain causes Starbeck church ceiling to collapse
The ceiling of a Starbeck church has collapsed after a severe rainstorm this week.
David Leonard, a treasurer at St Andrew’s Church, contacted the Stray Ferret on Wednesday after part of the ceiling of its Welcome Centre caved in on Monday evening (May 6).
Mr Leonard said the volume of rain was “too much” for the rooftop drains, which led to the damage.
The church also took to social media to say the Welcome Centre is “out of action” following a “severe ingress of water”.
Mr Leonard said the church has insurance, but would also apply to various charities for financial help to fix the ceiling.
He said:
Mr Leonard did confirm, however, the church is still operating as usual and can be accessed via different doors.
It comes after an extreme rainstorm hit parts of Starbeck and Knaresborough on Monday.
Several Knaresborough roads were underwater, while homes were flooded and residents were forced to evacuate.
The damage raised questions about the ability of local drainage systems to cope, but North Yorkshire Council denied this was a factor.
Mr Leonard attributed the damage at St Andrew's to "just a case of there being exceptional weather that day".
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