Saboteurs may have brought down £250,000 wind turbine

An investigation is under way to establish whether too much wind was responsible for bringing down a 111ft (34m) wind turbine (Getty)

A controversial 115ft wind turbine which was blown down in strong winds may have been targeted by saboteurs.

The £250,000 tower, which has now been removed from East Ash Farm in Bradworthy, Devon, crashed to the ground on Sunday morning. It was erected in 2010 despite opposition from the local community, who believed it would be a noise nuisance.

Margaret Coles, the chairman of Bradworthy Parish Council, said an examination of the turbine revealed that a number of bolts were missing.

She told the This Is Devon website: “People were woken by the crash it made when it came down. Some people think the bolts had been removed from the turbine which is why it was brought down. Others have said they saw charring on the turbine so they think it caught fire or was set fire to.

“But we are not experts, we don’t know what happened and we want to find out. I think Torridge District Council should be investigating it too because they are the authority who grant permission for these turbines. They should want to find out more about the safety of them before they make further decisions on turbine applications.”

The council said it would not be investigating, claiming it was not a danger to the public and as it is not a building, it would not have contravened building regulations. East Ash Farm refused to comment.