Firefighters had to battle high winds to secure a damaged roof on a block of flats in West Watford.

Two crews from Watford Fire Station were called to the apartments in The Gateway, off Whippendell Road, at around 11.20am today.

Crew Commander Mark Lovell said the firefighters found the top sheeting on the roof had come loose in the winds and some insulation boards and timber joists had been blown off.

Watford Observer:

Picture by Simon Jacobs.

The damage had not exposed the penthouse flat directly underneath, but there was a threat of debris being blown off and into surround buildings.

Mr Lovell said: “We evacuated the other buildings next to the flats in case more stuff blew off. A car had already been damaged by debris and had its rear window smashed."

Firefighters then had to tie ropes over the flapping sheet of roofing to secure. However they faced danger as if the wind changed the roofing could have been blown back in their direction.

They eventually tied ropes over the damaged roofing and secured them to balconies on either side of the flats.

Mr Lovell added: “We then handed it over to the (flats) management guys.”