FIRE fighters battled against high winds as a 20ft scaffolding tower hung precariously over a busy Kendal Road this morning.

Kendal Fire and Rescue team raced to Sande Air House, off New Road, at 8.57am, after the structure was blown onto the edge of a patio railing.

Crew manager Tony Harrison said: “The tower was on the top floor penthouse on wheels on a patio decking area.

“Due to the high winds it had blown towards the handrail and because of its height was blown over the top onto a lift shaft right above the pavement.”

Kendal Police cordoned off the pavement below and prepared to close New Road as rush hour traffic drove past the scene.

Skilled rescue workers used specialist equipment including harnesses, ropes and pulleys were used to dismantle part of the tower and recover it to a position of safety within the hour.

Crew manager Harrison said: “The high winds were a major player in this incident.

“It was quite a technical operation and it was very windy up there. We were up on the top floor so we were really up against the elements.”

Alison Goodman, 27, from Dorset, said: “I looked out of the window to see what the weather was doing and saw this scaffolding hanging over the edge of the building.”

“Every time there was a big gust of wind it was wobbling. It looked like it was going to drop straight onto the road. It was quite dramatic to see.”

A Met Office spokeswoman said winds in Cumbria had reached 61mph.