Police open investigation after crane crashes into house in Wigan
No one was injured in the incident, but an investigation is now underway
Last updated 8th Apr 2024
Police in Greater Manchester are investigating how a crane was able to topple and crash into a house in Wigan.
Flapper Fold Lane in Atherton, in the east of the borough, was closed off in both directions by officers after being called to the scene just after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning (April 6th).
Emergency services including Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Greater Manchester Police attended the scene inspect the damage.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "At approximately 10:31 this morning (06/04/2024) officers responded to an incident involving a crane crashing with a building on Flapper Fold Lane in Atherton causing a fire to break out."
As a result, a police cordon has been put in place along Flapper Fold Lane as investigators try to piece together the events that led up to the incident.
Footage of the overturned vehicle spread across social media, which showed the scale of the damage to the house. Since emergency services attended the scene, the crane has been removed from the property - but the container the crane was holding currently remains at the house.
Sergeant Luke Mclachlan, from GMP’s Wigan and Leigh District, said: “Officers are working, alongside emergency services to investigate and clean up an incident involving a crane colliding with a residential building.
"Thankfully, no injuries have been reported, and enquiries are ongoing to find out how this happened. A scene is expected to remain in place until later today and we ask members of the public to please avoid the area."
Mr Mclachlan finished by thanking the public for their help and cooperation with enquiries thus far, adding that the public should be patient whilst enquiries are ongoing.