Manufacturing plant struck by mini tornado.
As digger enthusiasts will tell you, JCB is a global manufacturer that has 22 factories spread across four continents. So when new reached us of a mini tornado temporarily ceasing production, we were not entirely surprised. Those foreign climes in Asia and North and South America can be a bit sketchy at times.
So imagine our surprise when we leared that the mini tornado had hit the company’s World Headquarters in Rocester in Staffordshire where “extreme weather” normally means a bit more rain than usual.
Yesterday, hurricane force winds tore into the side of the factory where backhoe loaders are produced, causing a wall to collapse and windows to fall to the ground. Production was suspended for 30 minutes while safety checks were carried out. Clear up operations then began and the area beyond the wall declared safe for production to continue. No-one was injured in the incident and the area has now been cordoned off.
JCB Backhoe Assembly Manager Richard Williams, of Stramshall, near Uttoxeter, said: “I was about 30 yards away at the time and I heard an enormous crash. I turned around and saw the wall and the windows had come out and a big whirlwind of leaves and branches blowing around outside. Luckily no-one was in the vicinity at the time.”
A JCB spokeman said: “Shortly after midday the skies blackened and powerful winds moved in, literally whipping up big waves on the lake at the front of the factory. Employees who have been here for decades said they had never seen anything like it.”
