FIREFIGHTERS were called to a house in Blackburn after a 12ft television aerial came loose in fierce winds and threatened to send a chimney crashing into a busy street.
Blackburn fire station commander Chris Norse called out the Lancashire brigade's £350,000 sky-lift unit as his men battled in strong winds to disentangle the massive aerial from the chimney in Whalley New Road.
Said Mr Norse: "The chimney stack was in danger of collapsing after the aerial came loose and started blowing around in the fierce winds.
"Bricks were beginning to fly off and had the chimney collapsed it would have been a serious problem. It would have sent masonry hurtling into the street."
Householder Gerry Hegarty called television engineers to the scene at about 8pm.
The engineers contacted the firefighters, who took about an hour to remove the aerial and make the chimney safe.
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