Businesses disrupted as tower block closes

Businesses in a Brighton tower block have been forced to shut because of fire safety risks in the building.

The temporary and immediate closure of New England House was announced at the weekend by Brighton and Hove City Council, which cited "intolerable specific fire safety risks at New England House that we cannot ignore".

It said the site would not reopen until fire wardens had been sourced, which it said it aimed to have in place by Tuesday.

Tenants were told business hours would also be limited in future.

Donna Chisholm, corporate director of the council's city services, said: "We are truly sorry for the inconvenience and potential loss of income this temporary closure causes.

"The council is committed to ensuring the safety of everyone and are working diligently to reopen the building on Tuesday.

“We recognise the financial impact this may have and will of course offer compensation for specific losses if tenants can provide evidence."

She added that closure at short notice had "a disruptive impact".

The power into the building has not been turned off and tenants have been told they can access their units to collect items by agreement with site security.

A meeting with the building’s tenants will be held next week.

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