South Norwood leisure centre has been forced to close this afternoon after gales ripped “30 to 40” roof panels off the building.

There were also reports of delays on the tram network due to a fallen branch, as Croydon battened down the hatches against the force of Storm Imogen.

A Croydon Council spokesman confirmed the closure of the leisure centre at 5pm today.

Staff had managed to evacuate the building quickly and no one had been hurt, he said.

Twitter user Save South Norwood reported seeing "30 to 40 big pieces of insulation fly off the roof at 3.30pm".

The leisure centre is expected to re-open as normal tomorrow morning, according to Croydon Council's twitter feed.

There were also reports on social media of a branch falling on overhead tram wires near Addington village.

But a TfL spokeswoman said services had not been disrupted.

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