THE collapse of a roof in a barn sparked a massive rescue operation.

999 crews rushed to the scene in Lindley, fearing serious injuries. Click on the link below to view a picture gallery from the incident.

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But nobody was injured in the sudden collapse which took place in a derelict barn, off Lidget Street, at around 11am today.

The collapse, in the empty building to the rear of No 10 Bar and Kitchen, was attended by firefighters, police and ambulance staff.

But several of the emergency crews were turned away when it became apparent that nobody had been in the barn at the time of the collapse.

West Yorkshire Fire Service’s specialist Technical Rescue Team (TRT), based at Cleckheaton, attached supports to stabilise the walls of the barn while other firefighters sifted through the rubble.

TRT Watch Commander, Damian Cameron, said: "The building was reasonably secure so it was very unlikely that there was someone in there.

"But we put up shores to stabilise the building so the guys could go through the rubble."

A neighbour, who dialled 999 after witnessing the collapse, said: "I was just coming back from shopping and walking through the gate and there was this tremendous rumble and dust flying everywhere.

"I had a word with my neighbour because I thought someone had been tampering with the roof.

"I wondered if someone had been in there and that was what had caused it to collapse.

The neighbour added: "I’ve lived here five years and it’s been empty all that time."

Nikki Schofield, who owns Bar 10, said: "It has been empty for a while and as far as I’m aware no-one has been working on it.

"We do get children playing close to the barn sometimes but not during the day."

Structural engineers will now carry out safety checks on the rest of the building.