A FAMILY had a lucky escape when a wall of their house was ripped apart by a gust of wind during the storms.

Paul Austin, 32, his wife, Margaret and their three young children fled their home in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, and took refuge in a relative's home when a freak blast of wind brought part of the upper storey of their house crashing down.

Last night Mr Austin said he could not believe what was happening as his house was opened up to the elements by the ferocious gale.

The gust that struck Mr Austin's home occurred just after 6pm, as the family were settling down to dinner.

It hit an apex section at the side of their two-storey home in the town's Howletnest Road, stripping away roof tiles and causing part of the bedroom wall to collapse.

Speaking to The Herald soon after the dramatic incident, Mr Austin said: "I just managed to get out with my wife and three kids. I've no idea what I'm going to do now.

"The winds were so fierce that it hit the gable end and the next thing I knew the wall was coming down.

"We all got out uninjured, but it was a real shock. I'm not sure when we'll get back in."

One neighbour said that the weather in the early evening was among the worst that she had ever seen.

She said: "It was really bad here, but we were shocked at the damage it caused to Paul's house. I'm just glad that everyone got out okay."

Police were called to the incident and closed off the street while fire and rescue services worked to stabilise the damaged property.

A crew from Coatbridge Fire Station stayed at the scene for an hour until officials from the North Lanarkshire Council were able to carry out an inspection.

It is understood they will make a decision today on whether the building can be saved. The family will not be allowed back into the house until then.

A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: "We were called to a damaged building in Airdrie, where people had to be taken from the house. No-one was injured, but there was extensive damage to the property.

"The outside of the house could be seen from the street, and officers stayed at the scene to direct traffic away for a short time until the situation was declared safe."

l A lifeboat crew battled horrendous conditions last night to rescue two people adrift in a yacht on a loch.

The RNLI crew were launched after the boat had been blown clear of its moorings and had to drop anchor in Loch Creran, Argyll, after failing to find shelter in the storm.

A Clyde Coastguard spokesman said: "The lifeboat managed to get the yacht back on to a mooring."

The lifeboat was later diverted to the isle of Kerrera, by Oban, to pick up six people who were stranded because of the bad weather.