A FATHER cheated death after the roof of his house fell around him as he put out the recycling.

Steve Horabin had a lucky escape after the gable end of his house gave way under high winds on Sunday evening.

Tonnes of heavy brickwork came crashing down, slamming into his neighbour’s roof and pounding on to the roof of a little alleyway between the two houses where Mr Horabin was standing.

His wife Andrea rushed out of the house shouting for her husband – fearing the worst when she saw the rubble.

Speaking to The Argus yesterday, Mrs Horabin told how her peaceful Sunday afternoon was shattered by the collapse of her roof in a thunderous din in Amberley Drive, Hove, at about 5.30pm.

She said: “My son was in the lounge and I was in the bedroom and my husband was in the alleyway sorting out the recycling.

“I heard a bang. It was actually louder than thunder.

“I got up from the bedroom and went to the alleyway to see all these bricks had come down and the hallway window had gone.

“I shouted ‘Steve, Steve’, and he said: ‘Don’t worry, I’m OK’.

“He is lucky to be alive.

“One of those giant concrete slabs could have landed on his head.”

The family were able to turn to friends who put them up for the night.

Mrs Horabin had put her dog Smudge with a neighbour but he was howling so much from the trauma that she had to come and stay with him and sleep on her neighbour’s sofa.

Yesterday the family were hopeful of moving back into the former council house which they have called home for the past 18 years.

The couple’s 26-year-old son David used his experience with Brighton lettings firm Massey to contact builders Martin Mitchell at 8am yesterday morning who began work on repairs immediately.

Their neighbours were also forced to leave their house because of the damage.

The Horabins believe the pins holding the gable in place went after strong winds got into the wall cavity.

Mr Horabin said the alleyway’s strong roof saved him.

He said: “When they built these council houses they gave these outbuildings strong concrete roofs.

“If it had not been concrete, the whole thing would have come down on me.”