A £5million pound Sunseeker yacht just days away from completion was damaged after a giant scaffolding awning collapsed on to it.

Gale force winds overnight on Thursday are thought to have brought the structure crashing down on the luxury yacht moored next to Poole’s lifting bridge.

Onlookers amazed by the calamitous sight were stopping to take photos yesterday as the news spread through the maritime community.

But Sunseeker spokesman Gemma Langridge said the scene looked worse than it really was, and only a section of scaffolding had “fallen gently” on the boat.

“The damage appears to be mostly cosmetic – minor moulding damage,” she told the Echo.

The made-to-order vessel, a 28 Metre, has a client waiting. Sunseeker has yet to put a time frame, or cost, on the works needed to put the damaged boat right.

The collapsed structure, a temporary cleaning shed, had been erected by Poole-based GM Scaffolding a few weeks ago, and was being used to protect the vessel during wet weather while final cleaning work was carried out.

It remained slumped over the yacht yesterday. Gemma Langridge added that scaffolding contractors were on site and working to resolve the problem as soon as possible, but only when it was safe to do so as winds remained high.

The rough weather also resulted in slight damage to the aluminium blading on the Condor ferry where it had grazed the quay.

Harbour master Brian Murphy said it was a protection that was “there to be bumped” and repairs would not delay any sailings.

He added some boats would be using tug boats due to the weather, and “everybody needs to be more careful with wind like this”.

Winds were at 50 knots at Poole port overnight on Thursday, and gusting at 54 knots yesterday morning.

The grim weather also trapped some boats in the Poole Quay Boat Haven, with winds too high to manoeuvre them out safely.

BT engineer Terry Marsh, 48, said he was due to take his 28ft motorboat Navitec back to Bristol ready to fly out on holiday. “The boat might have to stay here another two weeks,” he added. “It’s going to cost another £300 to keep it here.”

Terry Ironside, 48, an engineer from Farnborough, said: “I was due to head back to my mooring at Wareham, but I’ll have to stay another day.”