A COUPLE narrowly escaped serious injury when a high-powered firework exploded through their conservatory roof and landed in the middle of their home.
Mary Williams was in the shower at around 7pm last Friday evening when the firework, which it is believed may be illegal, struck her house in Shirley.
At the time she heard a loud noise but unbeknown to her, a rocket had crashed through three layers of roofing and landed just feet away from her partner.
Tony Moody, who had been working at his laptop, initially thought that he was being shot at.
The device, which was likened to a piece of military hardware and had metal casing, was still erupting show-ers of sparks but Mr Moody bravely tried to put it out.
Fortunately he was not injured by the device, but having seen the damage it did to the roof, Mary is convinced the rocket could have severely injured or even killed him.
When the rocket had finally burned out all it left behind was a charred stick and oily black marks where it had landed. A hole the size of a dinner plate was left in the roof and repairs are likely to cost between £100-£150.
Mary, aged 65, said: "It really did shake Tony up, it nearly gave him a heart attack. If it had hit anybody it could have been fatal. I'd had my grandchildren round earlier in the day and where it landed is where I usually sit, it's just so lucky no one was hurt."
Ms Williams, who has lived on Nethercote Gardens for over 20 years, was also affected by the flooding earlier this year.
She added that there were scores of fireworks going off that evening and she had no idea where the rocket came from.
"You hear them going off all the time, my neighbour commented on how noisy they were and even some kids have got them. It's a shame I know, but I think these days we should only have organised displays."
