The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Intimidation claims over evacuation of at-risk flats
Angry residents hit out as more than 60 English high rises fail fire service tests
Residents yet to be evacuated from four London tower blocks have claimed they are being intimidated by security guards and that tensions are rising, as the operation to clear the buildings continues.
Thousands of tenants from more than 600 flats on the Chalcots Estate, Camden, were evacuated on Friday after firefighters said they could not guarantee the safety of the buildings, council leader Georgia Gould said.
The towers have been found to be covered with the same type of cladding as used at Grenfell, five miles to the south-west, where at least 79 people died in the June 14 tragedy.
It comes as around 60 high-rise buildings in 25 local authorities across England have now failed fire cladding safety tests, the Government has said.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said Doncaster, Norwich, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland all had buildings that failed tests, while Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth have already been named.
Islington, Lambeth and Wandsworth joined Barnet, Brent, Camden and Hounslow on the growing list of London boroughs.
The buildings on Chalcots have been declared unsafe by the fire service.
However, around 200 residents from 120 households are yet to vacate their homes, with tenant Mandy Ryan claiming a security guard tried to intimidate her as she took her dogs for a walk yesterday morning. Ms Ryan said: “I was bullied this morning trying to leave the building. He (the security guard) stood in front of the door and guys surrounded him and he said ‘we need to know who you are’,” she told the Press Association.
“We are not the villains here, we are the victims. We are not trying to impede any work whatsoever, we just want suitable accommodation.
“We are all scared, we are disrupted, we don’t know how we are going to cope, cook, wash or anything at the moment.”
Sayed Meah, 34, who provides 24-hour care for his 78-year-old mother, said many are “fighting on” and telling each other they will not be going until a legal notice is obtained or they are “dragged out by their fingernails”.
He added: “After 10 o’clock they were saying no one is allowed in. People were kicking the doors. One gentleman broke the glass and cracked it. Other residents had to call the police, saying they were being refused access to their own homes.”
Adam Booth, 47, said: “As soon as they come out of the lift they are waiting for you – asking who you are, which floor and number, where you are going.”
The council has said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe.
Pressed on the claims made by residents of bullying and intimidation, Ms Gould said: “This morning I spoke to my chief executive and we had a conversation and we both agreed that we just needed to reiterate to security that we need to be calm and measured.
“Most of the residents are willing to go, they are just waiting for the right accommodation.
“They’re scared, they want to be sure that they can come back...the right approach is to work with them.
“There are various legal routes that Camden Council could explore to require people to leave their homes. However, we really don’t want to do this.”
The council said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe.
Ms Gould committed £100,000 of council funds to pay for food and essential items for displaced residents.