Workers were evacuated from the Wembley stadium site today after an incident involving a roof, the GMB union said.
The union officials said workers heard “an enormous bang” and there were reports that part of a roof dropped by three feet.
No one is believed to have been hurt in the incident but union officials said they wanted a full investigation into what happened.
A spokesman for construction company Multiplex said: “Between 8.30am and 8.50am there was a full evacuation of the site – 3,000 people were removed.
“Something has happened with the roof above certain workers.
“It was an isolated incident. Standard procedures were used to withdraw people from the situation.
“Engineers are looking at it now.”
Earlier this month, the Football Association announced the FA Cup Final would be played at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium after Multiplex could not guarantee that the £757m 90,000-seater stadium would be ready for 13th May.
England’s two World Cup warm-up friendly matches – against Hungary on 30th May and Jamaica on June 3 – will now be played at Old Trafford.
The FA had already allowed Multiplex to move the completion deadline several times.
The original autumn 2005 handover date was pushed back to 31st January 2006 and then 31st March.
Multiplex is expected to lose more than £100m on building the stadium and it is understood the Australian company will be penalised £1m a week for over-running the deadline.
No decision has been made on whether several pop concerts in June, including Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones, Take That and Robbie Williams, will go ahead.
A spokeswoman for Wembley Stadium said: “We are still in discussion with music promoters.”
The stadium was dogged by delays and problems even before the site was sold to the FA in 1998.
The original £325m cost has more than doubled and there were numerous wrangles and problems in raising the money before construction got under way.
Multiplex confirmed that a piece of steel fell in an area containing workmen.
A spokesman said: “It was a rafter in the roof that failed while it was being welded. It fell 3ft.
The GMB union said later that most workers on the Wembley site had been sent home for the day following the incident.
References: EGi News 20/03/06
