Ice lump smashes through roof

The block of ice is thought to have fallen from a plane

A family narrowly escaped injury when a chunk of ice - thought to have fallen from a plane - smashed through the roof of their home.

The block of frozen water plummeted into the bedroom of five-year-old Kirsty Hicks and her four-year-old brother Mitchell.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the ice had probably fallen from a plane as it passed over the house in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, at about 0915 BST on Sunday .

Kevin Hicks, 30, said: "I heard a really loud crash, or a bang in the children's room".

Investigation launched

"My girlfriend Alison rushed into the children's bedroom and there was a big hole in the ceiling and ice all over the floor.

"One lump was about as big as two clenched fists.

"It was a big shock and we just didn't know where it had come from."

Kirsty and Mitchell, were not in the room at the time.

The CAA has launched an investigation into the incident.

"We always investigate these cases," said a spokesman. "Ice-falls are reported 20 or 30 times a year on average, which is comparatively rare when you think how many planes fly in British airspace.

Damage caused

"No-one has ever been hurt by one in the UK, but they can cause quite a lot of damage.

"It's hard to say if the ice in this case actually fell from a plane, but most often that is the case."

Ice falls are usually caused by a small leak in an aircraft component. Drips of water form into ice when the aircraft is at high altitude.

As the plane descends and the air temperature rises, the ice can melt, break away and fall to earth.