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Around 30 people were drinking at Byron’s Rest on Wednesday night (February 16) when strong winds caused by the fringes of Storm Dudley that hit the northern part of the UK that day, caused a section of cladding to be ripped off the front of the building, sending it crashing to the ground below where it smashed into several pieces.

However, no-one was thankfully walking past the pub when it happened and no broken masonry and debris came through windows into the pub.

Richard Darrington, the landlord, said: “It wasn’t good but it could have been so much worse, someone could have been hurt but luckilly no-one was nearby when it happened and it just fell to the ground.

Violent winds tore the cladding off the front of the Byrons Rest pub in Hucknall. Photos: Richard Darrington

"The ale gods were looking down on us at that moment.”

The pub is one of the most popular in Hucknall, particularly with real ale drinkers, and is the only pub in the town to feature in this year’s Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide.

Hucknall Market cancelled on Friday due to high winds forecast

Richard continued: “The wind was whipping around the market area in the, almost like a mini-tornado, in violent short bursts.

Shattered pieces of cladding were left all over the ground outside the pub - but luckily no-one was hurt

"There are roadworks happening around there at the moment and all the signs for them were being blown about everywhere.

"And then we got hit by two freak gusts – the first took half the cladding off and you could see it had affected the rest of it.

"Then about 15 minutes later, another gust took rest of it off.

"Thankfully, it just landed on the ground, none of it came into the pub, which was a huge stroke of luck, and none of it hit anyone outside either which was another massive stroke of luck.

"It’s a frightening thought really but thankfully our customers were all safe.

Richard and volunteers have now been working hard to strip any more loose cladding off the building before Storm Eunice hits the UK tonight and tomorrow with the Met Office issuing amber warnings for gusts of up to 70mph.

Once that is done, Richard says they will look to get the pub re-clad in the next couple of weeks.

Hucknall pub landlord 'thanking the ale gods' no-one was hurt after wind rips cladding off the building