Catcliffe wind turbine broken again - by the wind

ECO-friendly university bosses were left red-faced for the second time in 15 months this week after one of their wind turbines was left damaged—by high winds.

One of the swishing blades on the 190ft turbine at Catcliffe (pictured) was reduced to a stub after strong winds over the weekend caused the rest of it to break off.

It was a repeat performance of the dramatic scene in June last year after the same problem hit the same turbine.

Staff from the University of Sheffield's Waverley Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre near Catcliffe, where the two turbines stand, said that the cause of the breakage was being investigated by manufacturers Wind Energy Solutions.

But families living nearby, who have complained about the turbines' whirring blades causing interference to TV pictures, said that the second broken blade raised fresh questions about whether the equipment was safe.

Martin Oldfield, of nearby California Drive, said: "I'm worried about them from a safety point of view as they're sited quite close to a road and a supermarket where a lot of people go.

"There are workmen up there now starting work on repairing it but now that it's happened a second time, clearly there's a serious issue."

There was a bright side for Martin, who added: "As soon as the blade snapped off, the TV signal instantly improved and I could see all my TV programmes properly again."

A University of Sheffield spokeswoman said: "The University can confirm that one of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre's (AMRC) wind turbines suffered a failure last Saturday afternoon.

"It is not clear why this happened and an investigation is being carried out by the wind turbine manufacturers, Wind Energy Systems, and independent consultants.

"We are clearly concerned and have requested that the wind turbines are not put back into service until the suppliers and independent consultants have carried out their investigations and can confirm the safety of the equipment."