Met Eireann issued an orange warning for Waterford as a 130kph storm caused significant damage to some parts of the city this morning and a number of businesses were adversely affected.

The roof was blown off the Abbey retail unit in Ferrybank, which is directly across the road from the Abbey Community School.

Maggie Freeman, who is the proprietor of Tastebuds café, said she heard a big crashing sound and saw the grey roof tumbling out in front of the window of her café and across the road.

Her father Fran said the huge roof of the retail unit flew across the road and towards the gates of the Abbey Community School. “The students start school at 10 to nine and this happened at about 10 past nine, if it had happened a few minutes earlier when the children were making their way into school it could have been catastrophic.”

Mr Freeman said they very lucky that none of the 700 students or any members of the public were badly injured as a result of the incident.

Jim Gannon of Abbey Precaste said he had been working when the roof of his leased premises literally lifted off before his eyes. He said the damage was likely to force him to close his business “for one or two weeks”.

There are also a number of fallen trees and closed roads in Waterford City and county. In Waterford City the Passage Road is closed at the entrance to Summerville Avenue after an ESB pole fell after it was struck by a tree on the Grange Park Road. The ESB are currently attempting to resolve the issue.

Waterford County Council are in clearing a number of trees which are down on the Dungarvan to Clonmel Road. Other fallen trees were moved from the Lismore to Ballyduff Road and from the Villierstown side of Dromanagh.