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Lewes Castle wall collapse 'catastrophic' Lewes Castle wall collapse 'catastrophic'
(32 minutes later)
The collapse of Lewes Castle boundary wall has been described as "catastrophic", by a Historic England inspector. The collapse of Lewes Castle's boundary wall has been described as "catastrophic" by a Historic England inspector.
Rebecca Lambert said she was "deeply saddened" by the news and the group would be "offering advice and support" to those responsible for the wall.Rebecca Lambert said she was "deeply saddened" by the news and the group would be "offering advice and support" to those responsible for the wall.
About 600-tonnes of rubble fell from the 11th Century structure into a neighbouring garden on Monday. About 600 tonnes of rubble fell from the 11th Century structure into a neighbouring garden on Monday.
East Sussex County Council said the site was under "multiple ownership".East Sussex County Council said the site was under "multiple ownership".
Firefighters used sniffer dogs and a drone to search through the rubble amid fears people could be trapped. No casualties were found.Firefighters used sniffer dogs and a drone to search through the rubble amid fears people could be trapped. No casualties were found.
Following the collapsed, Ms Lambert tweeted "days like this are tough". Following the collapse, Ms Lambert tweeted "days like this are tough".
Dr Matthew Pope, senior research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology, at University College London, said it was "a serious incident to learn from". Dr Matthew Pope, senior research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, said it was "a serious incident to learn from".
Heritage tourism researcher Coralie Acheson described it as a "nightmare". While heritage tourism researcher Coralie Acheson described it as a "nightmare".
A spokesperson for the county council said responsibility for sections of the wall had been transferred to it in 1975 and that it would be working closely with the affected households and emergency services to assess why it collapsed. A spokesperson for the county council said responsibility for sections of the wall had been transferred to it in 1975 and it would be working closely with the affected households and emergency services to assess why it collapsed.
"The county council undertook survey, repairs and strengthening works to this section of the wall in 2017 under Scheduled Monument planning and building approvals, but we are not aware of any more recent activity that may have led to this collapse," the spokesperson added."The county council undertook survey, repairs and strengthening works to this section of the wall in 2017 under Scheduled Monument planning and building approvals, but we are not aware of any more recent activity that may have led to this collapse," the spokesperson added.
The Sussex Archaeological Society which owns the main castle building said one tower remained closed while inspections were carried out. A spokeswoman for castle owners Sussex Archaeological Society said it was one of the last remaining sections of the historic defence wall that fell.
Emma O'Connor, from the society, confirmed the closed tower was of a similar construction to the wall and would therefore remain shut until a full inspection had taken place. She added: "There's not much of it left standing. It's one of the last sections that was still at full height."
Earlier, Lewes Council tweeted that the South Tower remained closed for safety checks.
Emma O'Connor, from Sussex Archaeological Society, confirmed the closed tower was of a similar construction to the wall and would therefore remain shut until a full inspection had taken place.
Historic England said it was in contact with Lewes District Council and has offered assistance "both in the immediate aftermath of this event and for the future, as proposals to rebuild will need to be considered".
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