STORMS brought a floodlight pylon crashing down at Ebbslfleet United’s ground on Saturday night.

The corner near the entrance to Stonebridge Road and the Plough End has been left in the dark after the tower was snapped in two by high winds, smashing most of the lights.

Gusts of up to 80mph hit Kent and the winds at Stonebridge Road were strong enough to topple the metal structure, which luckily did not land on the pitch or in the stands.

Executive vice chairman Peter Varney says the damage could have been a lot worse considering what happened in other parts of the country.

He told News Shopper: “Half of Somerset flooded so we probably got off lightly here.

“We are actually on schedule to replace the floodlights in March so we know they are at the end of their lives and the wind has just accelerated that.

News Shopper:

Most of the lights were smashed. 

“We are lucky it happened when it happened really.

“There’ll probably be a temporary tower put up which will cost a few thousand pounds.

“We could do without it but obviously we want to get it fixed for the weekend.”

The Fleet take on Staines Town on Saturday and website editor Ed Miller says the club is better able to cope with set-backs like this since Kuwaiti-run consortium KEH Sports Ltd took over in the summer.

He said: “Ultimately it's not the disaster it would have been last year when we couldn't afford a light bulb, let alone a whole new floodlight tower.

“With new floodlights coming next month you could argue if it had to happen, it's not bad timing.

“Assuming the club can get a temporary fix in place before Saturday, it shouldn't affect match day operations.

“The last thing the fans or the team need now is yet another game postponed seeing as the weather shows no signs of relenting.”