'Dangerous' Seascale wind turbine removal call

Parts of the turbine have come off on three occasions

A "dangerous" wind turbine in a school ground in Cumbria is a "risk to the community", a local councillor said.

Councillor David Moore spoke out after "big lumps" of the structure at Seascale Primary School flew off and landed in a nearby garden.

It is the third such incident since the turbine was installed in 2010.

The school said it was talking to engineers and pledged to decommission it if there was not a "100% guarantee" it could never happen again.

Mr Moore, who represents Seascale in Copeland, has now called for it to be removed immediately, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In 2013, a blade flew off and landed in a field, narrowly missing horses. Last year, during high winds, a large piece smashed into a house.

'Injured or worse'

Mr Moore said: "Previously, we called for it to be removed or made safe - and the school said it couldn't happen again.

"But now big lumps have again blown off and landed in the garden of a house.

"Having spoken to a number of local residents, we believe that the only safe solution is for the turbine to be removed before someone is injured or worse."

A spokesman for the school said: "This is unacceptable and we are concerned that it has happened again.

"We are currently talking to engineers and unless we can be 100% that this issue will not happen again, the school governors will look in to having the wind turbine decommissioned."

The 15-metre (49 ft) wind turbine provides electricity to help power the school.