A CHIMNEY stack at a cement works was left leaning after high winds.

Safety fears over the structure stopped production at the Ribble Valley’s Hanson Cement base after the stack was damaged.

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The top 23-metre tall section of the 92-metre structure, built in the 1980s, was bent to a five degree angle following the recent bad weather.

Concerned residents living close to the plant near Clitheroe contacted the firm’s headquarters on Wednesday to report the fault. The cement kiln production was halted and shut for a day and a half.

An inspection team was dispatched to assess the damage and an independent surveyor has recommended safety procedures at the site until a replacement is fitted.

The company has said that the stack will be inspected twice a day until the summer when it is expected that a replacement section will be lifted into place, with the work costing around £100,000.

A spokesman for Hanson Cement said: “Safety was our first priority and that’s why we shut production down first.

“There was never any danger of the section falling on employees as it is made of steel and is structurally sound.

“All that has happened is that the high winds bent the top section.

“We are aiming to get it replaced in the summer but it’s more of a logistical exercise than anything else. It will need a lot of planning before we can commit to a date for the work. We have followed what the structural engineer has said.

“Obviously this has impacted on our production and it has put us back. We are, however, confident that we can catch up.”

Hanson Cement, which was called Castle Cement until a rebrand in 2009, currently employs 107 people at its Ribblesdale site between Clitheroe and Chatburn.

The company was formed after Ribblesdale Cement Ltd, which was founded in 1937, merged with Tunnel Portland Cement Company Ltd and Ketton Portland Cement Company Ltd.