The roof collapse at Manchester Victoria could have been caused by seagulls pecking the panels, the M.E.N can reveal.

Engineers at the £44m hub are understood to be investigating whether the plastic dome, installed just last year, was weakened by the birds.

And it’s understood the gulls could have been drawn to the scent of McDonald’s, emitted from a ventilation unit near the bubble-style roof.

A young woman and man were injured on Tuesday when water flooded through the broken and buckling panel - ‘blasting’ them off their feet as they walked with other commuters.

A further 30 passengers were left ‘soaked’.

Now the remarkable explanation for the freak incident has been revealed to the M.E.N by several sources.

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One man, working for Network Rail at Victoria, told the M.E.N he was certain seagulls - notorious for their mobbing behaviour - were the culprits.

He said had often seen ‘up to 20’ of the birds, beaks down, tail feathers up, on the roof at one time.

This had caused visibly weakened areas on some panels, which are made from the same polymer used at Cornwall’s Eden Project.

The worker, who asked not to be named, added: “That’s what we have been told. We see loads of birds up there all the time, it’s no secret that they peck at the roof. They have been doing it for months.”

Another Network Rail employee added: “We believe that the seagulls have caused the damage to the roof after they were attracted to the area by the smell coming from the McDonald’s ventilation unit.”

An M.E.N. Facebook follower posted after the roof partially collapsed: “The train guard on the 16:11 to Stalybridge even advised they had been telling the station for days about the problem with the roof but had not done anything about it. (He advised seagulls had pecked a hole in the outer layer, causing the water to build up to a dangerous level.)”

Inspectors were this morning seen abseiling on the roof with full safety gear to inspect the plastic panels.

The area under the leaking roof at platform one and two is still cordoned off, as is another larger area in the main concourse while inspections are carried out.

There has been no disruption to trains services.

Neither Network Rail - responsible for the roof - or Northern, which manages the station, would comment on the seagull issue.

(Image: Steve Allen)

A Network Rail spokesman said the safety of passengers and railway staff was their top priority.

Wishing a speedy recovery for those injured in the incident, he added: “A section of roof at Manchester Victoria appears to have been damaged, leading to water filling one of the plastic panels which then appears to have broken under the weight.

“Repairs are now being carried out. We are working with Northern and our contractors to understand what took place and we will implement any measures needed to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

(Image: Steve Allen) (Image: Dominic Salter)

A Northern Rail spokesman said: “Services are operating as normal at Manchester Victoria station. Some areas remain cordoned off but platforms are open. Contractors attended last night to ensure the roof was made safe and a full inspection will take place today.

Staff at McDonald’s on the station concourse said they were not aware of seagulls being attracted to their ventilation unit.

A McDonald's spokesman said: "We are not aware of any official source suggesting this to be the cause of yesterday’s ceiling collapse. Our ventilation unit is one of several within the station area.

"It is highly unlikely any seagull would have the capacity to isolate ours, above and beyond others in close proximity. The incident yesterday continues to be under investigation and we have received no official contact or request for information suggesting our ventilation is the main culprit."