Unsafe steel in flats 'could have led to disaster'
BBCA company that ordered the evacuation of an apartment building in Southampton has said a disaster could have happened at any time in the past 20 years.
Residents at Sundowner Court in Ocean Village were told to leave their homes two weeks ago after an inspection found the block's steel structure was not fireproof.
Engineers who carried out the survey told the building's new management company that, in the event of a serious fire, it would have been in danger of collapse.
The developer said the building was signed off by the local authority's building control at the time of construction.
Southampton and Eastleigh Building Control says its investigations into the building's construction are ongoing.
Hampshire fire service said similar surveys would be carried out on other buildings in the complex.
In the past 18 months the waterfront building, which contains 40 flats, has had cladding removed and its underground car park shut because of fire safety concerns.
On 22 February, leaseholders and tenants received a letter from HMS Property Management Services telling them to evacuate the building by 19:00 GMT.
The company had been due to start managing the block in April, but stepped in early after fire engineers hired to carry out the "invasive survey" informed it of the crisis in a late-night phone call.
Leasehold owner Penny Bowen said: "I messaged [my tenant] and said 'you're going to have to get out of this building by seven o'clock'. He thought it was a joke, and then he panicked."
Tenant Remy Kirk travelled home from Cornwall to pack after being told to leave her home.
She said: "I grabbed my bag in 10 minutes and stayed somewhere else that night."
At a residents' meeting on Monday, HMS said the survey also found an issue with the separation between apartments and communal areas that could affect how fast a fire could spread.
Director Sean Eckton said residents had been lucky a disaster had not happened in the 20 years since the apartments were built.
The original developer, Wilson Bowden, built a number of properties at Ocean Village.
The company has since been taken over by Barratt Redrow.
A spokesperson for the firm said it supported the decision made by the fire service and the block's managing agent to move the residents out.
The developer said: "Residents are being provided with accommodation and support, at no cost to themselves, and will be kept regularly informed of progress as we work with all parties to ensure the building is remediated as quickly as possible."
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