A 40-foot high wall collapsed in Ilkley town centre sending masonry thundering into buildings below.

Tons of stone crashed through roofs, wrecking a number of outbuildings and damaging bank computer equipment.

Stones were hurled into the street, and a witness said it sounded 'like an earthquake'.

An investigation was underway today after the gable end of the landmark Lloyds Bank building crumbled into the back-yard and on to the pavement in West Street at about 9.20pm last night.

Graham Birdsall, Editor of UFO Magazine which is based in the building, said the firm had complained about a bulge in a chimney before moving in nine months ago.

He said: "We spoke to a structural engineer from the estate agents before we moved in but we were assured it was safe. The chimney had a huge bulge three-quarters of the way up it but we were told it was safe.

"There have been some structural problems where we have seen cracks appear over the last couple of months.

"But you are talking about a building that's hundreds of years old and made out of Yorkshire stone so you don't imagine for one minute that a wall is going to disappear."

His brother, director Mark Birdsall, added: "The wall was bent like a boomerang when we moved in. It didn't look safe at all. It was very damp in there."

West Street was still cordoned off this morning and was not expected to reopen for several hours.

Crews from Ilkley and Bradford were called in last night to search for anyone who may have been trapped in the building, or by falling rubble, but no-one was hurt.

Most of the side wall, facing Rear Brook Street, fell on to an outbuilding which contained staff toilets and housed rubbish bins, exposing the inside of the building and the roof timbers.

Senior Divisional Officer for West Yorkshire's fire service Allan Hughes said the corner stone of the building, which weighs 300-400 cwt, had fallen more than 40ft on to the pavement below.

"Fortunately, it was a quiet night. If it had been a busy Friday night there may well have been casualties," he said.

Student Matthew Trimnell, 18, was in Johnsons Caf Bar, opposite the bank.

"I was in the front window of Johnsons. We heard a rumbling that sounded like either a lot of glasses smashing or a small earthquake," he said.

"I came to the window and we saw bricks just come down into the centre of the road which was quite dramatic. After ten to 15 minutes there was a strong smell of gas."

Graham Birdsall, who described how he had been working late and locked up just ten minutes before the collapse, added: "It is only by the grace of God. Anybody under that rubble wouldn't have stood a chance."

Referring to the magazine, he joked: "I thought the lads had come down and struck us when we weren't looking!"

David Roberts, who is bank manager to ten staff who operate in the lower two floors of the building, said: "We don't know what's happened.

"The masonry has come down, has demolished the staff toilets and has gone through the computer room. There is a modest amount of flooding and the electrics have been switched off.

"When the alarm went and I was phoned by the police I assumed it was a false alarm. I certainly wasn't anticipating anything like this."

He added: "There is no security risk to customers or their money. But there will be some inconvenience because we are reliant on the computer systems and we can't say how badly damaged it is yet."

A crowd of about 30 people gathered to watch as firefighters floodlit the area and begin pulling down loose masonry.

One onlooker Sue Macpherson, 32, said: "I will never bring my kids down that street again. I cross over the road there every Thursday morning to get to nursery. It is frightening."

A structural engineer from Kirklees Council was called in to investigate the collapse and has been cordoned off until further notice.

Attempts are now being made to trace the owners of the building which is let to the firms by an agent.

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