36 families given emergency accommodation due to safety fears at Lincoln flats

Residents have been told to leave a block of waterside flats because of fire safety concerns.

One The Brayford in Lincoln was found to have an insufficient fire alarm system and combustible external walls, and a fire would likely spread too quickly for residents to escape.

Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue has issued a prohibition notice, strongly advising people to leave, although they don’t have legal powers to force them.

A total of 36 families have been given emergency accommodation by the City of Lincoln Council.

The block of 89 flats, along with the ground floor retail and restaurant space, on Brayford Wharf North opened in 2019, and was valued at £15m.

Fire crews remain at the scene as residents with suitcases re-entered the building to collect belongings.

There were 51 residents living in the building when the prohibition notice was issued.

Dan Moss, area manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “We appreciate that this is a worrying time for those living and staying in these flats, but our primary concern is always the safety of the public.

“Once we understood the extent of the fire risks at One The Brayford, we were left with no option but to advise individuals of the risks, and recommend they leave while we work with the building owners to make sure it is fully safe.

“We are working hard to do that as quickly as possible and will make sure we keep residents and guests updated on progress.

The notice outlines three main areas of fire safety risk.

“Insufficient fire resisting separation between the sleeping accommodation and the means of escape. This will allow heat and smoke from a fire to pass from the area of the fire to all floors.

“Insufficient means of detecting a fire and giving adequate warning to occupants, meaning they would be unaware of a fire. The occupants would be likely overcome by the effects of heat/smoke before they could make their escape.

“External wall systems are combustible and will allow any fire to spread rapidly on the external faces, with the potential for the fire to re-enter the building and spread internally”

The Building Safety Regulator, which is responsible for high rise buildings, will co-ordinate making the building safe with the owners.

A spokesperson for RMG, who manages the building, said: “The focus now is to establish what work must be completed to enable residents to return to their homes.

“The safety of the residents is our number one priority, and we will continue to support them through this difficult period.”

The business premises on the ground floor of the building are not affected by the notice.