The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Tension rises as some stay on
Residents yet to be evacuated from four 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 in Taplow, Dorney, Bray and Burnham towers in Camden were evacuated on Friday after firefighters said they could not guarantee the safety of the buildings.
The towers have been found to be covered with the same type of cladding as used at Grenfell, five miles to the south-west.
On top of internal issues surrounding gas pipes, insulation and fire doors, combined with the flammable panelling, the building has been declared unsafe by the fire service.
Around 200 residents from 120 households are yet to vacate their homes, with tenant Mandy Ryan claiming a security
“We don’t know how we are going to cope, cook or wash”
guard tried to intimidate her as she took her dogs for a walk on Sunday morning.
Ms Ryan, who shares her 22nd-floor flat in Dorney with her son, 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 said.
She said she was told by the man she could not take her animals outside.
Using a different building exit, Ms Ryan added: “I was so scared – I could feel his breath on my face.
“We are not the villains here. 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 has lived in Burnham since he was born, said he is yet to leave his eighth-floor flat.
Describing the feeling amongst other residents refusing to leave, he said they are “fighting on”. Holyrood is to carry out its own investigation into the safety of high-rise blocks in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London.
MSPs on the local government and communities committee are to expand an ongoing inquiry into housing and building regulations in Scotland to include high-rise accommodation.
The move was announced as London’s Camden Council evacuated residents in four tower blocks amid fire safety fears there.
And the UK Government revealed all of the 34 high-rises in England that have so far submitted cladding samples have failed combustibility tests.
The buildings are located in 17 local authorities across the country, including Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Camden, Barnet, Brent and Hounslow.
The Scottish Government has already confirmed that no council or housing association highrise block north of the border has cladding of the type said to have been used in Grenfell Tower – where at least 79 people died after a blaze tore through the tower block. Urgent tests are ongoing in eight areas to check privately owned blocks, but most councils report these have also not used the aluminium composite material. Bob Doris, the convener of the local government and communities committee, said: “There are thousands of families and individuals living in high-rise accommodation across Scotland and they are understandably looking for reassurances at this deeply worrying time.
“Whilst both the Scottish Government and our social housing providers have moved quickly to take action and to allay fears, it is important that our committee provides an additional layer of scrutiny both in terms of fire safety and building standards. That is precisely what we intend to do.”
He has written to Scottish Housing Minister Kevin Stewart, outlining the committee’s plans to examine safety in tower blocks.
“All parts of the UK must learn from the disaster at Grenfell Tower and we must do all we can to ensure no one has to experience the loss of a loved one in such tragic circumstances,” Mr Doris said.
“Our committee will be reviewing building safety standards in full, particularly in highly dense urban areas with many highrises.
“We will speak to local authorities, landlords, tenants and, of course, the Scottish Government as part of this inquiry.”