Sheffield flats evacuated over fire safety failure

Residents of a Sheffield apartment block were told to evacuate after the building failed fire safety tests.

The North Bank building on Wicker Riverside was served a prohibition notice following an inspection by South Yorkshire Fire Service on Friday night.

Apartments on the sixth up to the 10th floor were evacuated, with residents offered emergency accommodation.

Management company Love Your Block said the issues were around smoke ventilation and evacuation procedures.

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Paul McCormack, from the company, said these were issues he flagged up to the fire service during a routine inspection of the property.

He said there were also problems with the cavity wall and cladding of the building.

"We are doing absolutely everything that we can to support the residents, and are having multiple conversations with the fire brigade and the council," he said.

The fire service said it was a "difficult decision" to make this close to Christmas, but that safety was a priority.

It comes after the fire service announced last month it was inspecting all buildings in South Yorkshire over six storeys.

It is part of a government risk review programme aimed at increasing the pace of high-rise residential inspection activity which came in after the Grenfell Tower disaster.

North Bank resident Ryan Spence said residents had knocks on their doors at about 19:30 GMT on Friday, telling them to leave.

"The building has failed every single fire regulation it turns out and every person from the sixth floor onwards to the 10th floor have been forced to leave tonight or face arrest," he said.

The building is 10 storeys high and has 132 flats, 35 of which are on the upper section affected by the evacuation.

Mr McCormack said the upper floors can be reoccupied when a full evacuation alarm system is in place, which he hoped would be by the end of next week.

This is to alert residents to evacuate in the event of a fire, rather than adhere to the "stay put" policy currently in place.

Fire wardens would now patrol the lower floors until the alarm system was up and running.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Following a fire safety inspection on Friday 11 December at Wicker Riverside, North Bank in Sheffield, business fire safety inspectors have issued a prohibition notice on the building for a number of fire safety issues.

"Our fire inspectors will continue to work with the business owner to support them in resolving the issues, and to enable the notice to be lifted."

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