Up to 40,000 people face being told to leave their homes as 34 high-rise tower blocks are deemed unsafe after Grenfell Tower fire
UP to 40,000 people face being told to leave their homes over fire safety fears in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Hundreds spent a second night sleeping on airbeds at a leisure centre after being evacuated from high-rise blocks.
Others were put up in hotels or staying with friends after Camden Council in North London asked them to move out amid chaotic scenes.
Mohammed Gaani, 24, his mother and his two siblings were told at midnight on Friday to evacuate.
They spent the night on the floor at Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.
He said: “My little sister is just three and my brother is 15 — they keep offering us hotels in places like Wembley and Whitechapel.
“But they’re too far away and my brother’s in the middle of his GCSEs so we need to be in the area.”
Three young professionals from another block on Camden’s Chalcots Estate said they were told to sort out their own accommodation for the first few days.
One said: “We went to the centre. They pretty much told us, ‘Unless you’re elderly, infirm, pregnant or have kids you have to fend for yourselves’.”
Fears of more evacuations rose as the Government announced that cladding on 34 tower blocks in 17 council authorities in England has now failed fresh fire safety tests.
But that figure could be doubled as only half of the 600 potentially dangerous towers — each housing around 800 people — had been tested by the end of Friday.
Leading housing lawyer Jayesh Kunwardia, of London firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, said: “Based on the figures, I would say at least 40,000 could be facing evacuation.
“You only have one authority who has taken action so far, but I am sure we will see others follow suit.
“There is potentially an extraordinary number of people facing evacuation. We don’t even know what sort of material has been used outside of London so goodness knows how much this figure could rise to.”
In Camden, a letter to residents told them they would be evacuated “immediately” on Friday night.
Some angry locals slammed council leader Georgina Gould, saying they knew of the evacuation only through media reports.
Shirley Phillips, 72, confronted the 24-year-old Labour councillor, who has been in the job for six weeks.
She fumed: “I am having a pop at you. I am so absolutely stressed. Why were hotels not looked at before we were all evacuated?”
“I’ve sat in a chair over here since 9pm last night. I am 72, suffer with emphysema, and they can’t rehouse me because I’ve got a dog.
“What do they want me to do with my dog? Put my dog to sleep?”
Around 4,000 residents were moved out of five high-rises.
Fire chiefs then allowed residents to return to one of the five when checks were carried out on the buildings’ fire doors.
Eighty-three people defied warnings and refused to leave their homes. They include HGV driver Steve Pirolli, 49, who said: “It was fine 72 hours ago, it was fine two weeks ago, it was fine when they finished the cladding. But now, because of Grenfell, it’s not fine, and we have to get out at 9pm on a Friday.
“It’s not been unsafe since Camden said it’s safe to live here. Why wouldn’t I feel safe?”
Firefighters have the power to force residents out of buildings deemed at risk. But Camden Council has not asked them to do so.
One elderly resident on the 14th floor of Dorney Tower said no one had visited or asked her to leave.
She vowed to stay put until she is forced to go, adding: “All the information I have is from the news.”
Oliver Moradov, a specialist in temporary accommodation, said the council have just five days to find accommodation for evacuees as local hotels are booked up next week with Adele performing at Wembley.
Other buildings that have failed tests include homes in Plymouth, Portsmouth, Manchester and other parts of London. Council leaders said they had made “preparations” to evacuate if necessary as cladding was removed from blocks in Salford and Manchester city as a “precaution”.
The tests came after concerns that cladding on Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, West London, helped spread the inferno that killed at least 79 people on June 14.
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Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott was blasted for playing politics with the disaster — after saying Tories saw social housing residents as “second-class citizens”.
She said the deaths were a “direct consequence of Tory attitudes in social housing.” Housing minister Alok Sharma said: “After the tragedy at Grenfell I am very disappointed to see this being turned into a party political issue.”
— GRENFELL survivor Hannah West, 23, has had her £1,800 DFS sofa loan written off thanks to The Sun on Sunday. We contacted the furniture giant after her cream couch was destroyed.
'Evacuate call was badly handled'
Housing solicitor Jayesh Kunwardia offers advice to readers and his view of the evacuation.
I HAVE sympathy with Camden Council’s decision to evacuate but it has been handled appallingly.
A meeting took place on Thursday when the council knew that evacuation was a real possibility.
At that point, it should have told residents to give them time to make plans.
Instead, they found out on Friday evening when council staff came knocking on their doors.
Many are still in the emergency centre and, if it is still the case by Monday, they may go to court to get proper housing.
Any residents who pay for their own housing will have the right to reclaim that and this process will take months.
It will rumble on and on.
Q&A
Q: I am a tenant in a high-rise block and I’m worried it’s not safe.
Fire safety checks are being carried out. If your block is deemed unsafe, you must be moved out into emergency accommodation.
Q: What are my rights if my block is deemed unsafe?
The council has a duty to offer emergency accommodation, such as a B&B. If you have children this can only be for up to six weeks after which you must be moved into more suitable accommodation.
Q: How far can they legally move me?
The council must offer accommodation within its own district “so far as reasonably practicable”. If not, it should be “as close as possible”.
Q: What if I am left out of pocket?
You are entitled to get back reasonable expenses.
Q: What if I’d rather risk it and not move?
The council may seek an emergency court order to force you to move out of your property if it is deemed unsafe.
Additional reporting: JOSEPH ARCHER, ADELA WHITTINGHAM AND CLAIRE ANDERSON