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| Camden evacuation refuseniks urged to go so fire safety work can start | Camden evacuation refuseniks urged to go so fire safety work can start |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The residents refusing to leave tower blocks declared a fire hazard in London are being urged to evacuate their flats on Sunday to allow work on making the buildings safe to begin. | The residents refusing to leave tower blocks declared a fire hazard in London are being urged to evacuate their flats on Sunday to allow work on making the buildings safe to begin. |
| Camden council officials are knocking on doors to try to persuade the last residents on the Chalcots estate to accept temporary accommodation, the council’s leader, Georgia Gould, said. | Camden council officials are knocking on doors to try to persuade the last residents on the Chalcots estate to accept temporary accommodation, the council’s leader, Georgia Gould, said. |
| The effort to clear the estate comes after the government revealed that all of the 34 high-rises that have submitted cladding samples following the Grenfell Tower disaster failed combustibility tests. Hundreds more blocks are yet to be tested. | The effort to clear the estate comes after the government revealed that all of the 34 high-rises that have submitted cladding samples following the Grenfell Tower disaster failed combustibility tests. Hundreds more blocks are yet to be tested. |
| Although hundreds have left the Taplow, Bray, Dorney and Burnham blocks in Camden since the council ordered the evacuation on Friday evening, up to 80 people in 20 households are believed to be refusing to leave their homes, including some with young children and others concerned about their pets. | Although hundreds have left the Taplow, Bray, Dorney and Burnham blocks in Camden since the council ordered the evacuation on Friday evening, up to 80 people in 20 households are believed to be refusing to leave their homes, including some with young children and others concerned about their pets. |
| “By remaining in the blocks these residents risk delaying the work that is required and that we are undertaking to make these homes safe,” Gould said in a statement. “It is not safe to remain in these blocks and our residents’ safety will continue to be the council’s number one priority.” | “By remaining in the blocks these residents risk delaying the work that is required and that we are undertaking to make these homes safe,” Gould said in a statement. “It is not safe to remain in these blocks and our residents’ safety will continue to be the council’s number one priority.” |
| The council said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe. | The council said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe. |
| Asked what would happen if some residents refused to leave, a spokesman for the council said: “We do have legal options available but we really, really don’t want to go down that route.” | Asked what would happen if some residents refused to leave, a spokesman for the council said: “We do have legal options available but we really, really don’t want to go down that route.” |
| He added that “for the moment, certainly for today” they would continue to try to persuade and reassure people that the council was acting on the fire authorities’ advice, with the best interests of the residents at heart. | He added that “for the moment, certainly for today” they would continue to try to persuade and reassure people that the council was acting on the fire authorities’ advice, with the best interests of the residents at heart. |
| But tenant Mandy Ryan claimed a security guard tried to intimidate her as she took her dogs for a walk on Sunday. | |
| Ryan, who shares her 22nd-floor flat in Dorney with her son, said the whole experience of the evacuation so far was “disruptive” and that she had encountered problems. | |
| “I was bullied this morning trying to leave the building, he [the security guard] stood in front of the door and guys surrounded him and he said, ‘We need to know who you are,’” she told the Press Association. | |
| She said she was told by the man, who she had not seen before, that she could not take her animals outside. | |
| Using a different building exit, Ryan added: “I was so scared, he got so close to me – I could feel his breath on my face. | |
| “We are not the villains here, we are the victims. We are not trying to impede any work whatsoever, we just want suitable accommodation. | |
| “We are all scared, we are disrupted, we don’t know how we are going to cope, cook, wash or anything at the moment.” | |
| Ryan said that along with her son, who has disabilities, they were sent to a property in Haringey on Saturday afternoon, but that it was in a complete state of disrepair when they arrived. | |
| She said: “When I was offered three bedrooms I thought it was fantastic, but I would rather have slept in the garages downstairs, I feared for my safety.” | |
| She said she had now been offered two rooms at a nearby hotel, which will also allow them to take their two dogs. | |
| Sayed Meah, 34, who has lived in Burnham since he was born, said he is yet to leave his eighth-floor flat. | |
| Meah provides 24-hour care for his 78-year-old mother, who has had a stroke, with his wife. | |
| He was offered accommodation late on Saturday night, but said he would not accept it until the care company which helps them agrees to working at the new location. | |
| Describing the feeling among other residents refusing to leave, he said they were “fighting on”, and that each would not be going until a legal notice was obtained or they were “dragged out by their fingernails”. | |
| Asked whether he had had problems getting in and out of his building, Meah said Saturday evening proved difficult, adding: “After 10 o’clock they were saying no one is allowed in. | |
| Officials worked through the night to support residents who obeyed the instruction to leave on Friday, some finding shelter with friends and family, and some sleeping on air mattresses in a local hall. Others complained that they had sat all night on plastic chairs waiting to hear about hotel rooms. | Officials worked through the night to support residents who obeyed the instruction to leave on Friday, some finding shelter with friends and family, and some sleeping on air mattresses in a local hall. Others complained that they had sat all night on plastic chairs waiting to hear about hotel rooms. |
| The council said nearly 200 offers of temporary accommodation had been made, and most had been accepted. It has also organised an Eid feast in the Swiss Cottage community centre, with food, entertainment and a children’s creche to celebrate the end of Ramadan for anyone affected by the Chalcots evacuation. | The council said nearly 200 offers of temporary accommodation had been made, and most had been accepted. It has also organised an Eid feast in the Swiss Cottage community centre, with food, entertainment and a children’s creche to celebrate the end of Ramadan for anyone affected by the Chalcots evacuation. |
| “For everyone affected, we know that having to leave your home is distressing, and I understand that some residents are angry and upset. But the council must and will act to protect our residents,” Gould said. | “For everyone affected, we know that having to leave your home is distressing, and I understand that some residents are angry and upset. But the council must and will act to protect our residents,” Gould said. |
| She has committed £100,000 of council funds to pay for food and essential items residents may need, with the council having already spent £500,000 on hotel rooms for residents. | She has committed £100,000 of council funds to pay for food and essential items residents may need, with the council having already spent £500,000 on hotel rooms for residents. |
| After the news that cladding samples from every tower block tested so far had failed combustibility tests, the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, urged local authorities and housing associations to continue to submit samples “as a matter of urgency”. | After the news that cladding samples from every tower block tested so far had failed combustibility tests, the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, urged local authorities and housing associations to continue to submit samples “as a matter of urgency”. |
| The buildings are located in 17 local authorities across the country, including Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth and the London boroughs of Camden, Barnet, Brent and Hounslow. | The buildings are located in 17 local authorities across the country, including Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth and the London boroughs of Camden, Barnet, Brent and Hounslow. |
| On Saturday, Jeremy Corbyn said Theresa May must “get a grip” in the in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. The Labour leader called the situation a “nationwide threat” and called on the prime minister to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee Cobra to deal with it. | On Saturday, Jeremy Corbyn said Theresa May must “get a grip” in the in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. The Labour leader called the situation a “nationwide threat” and called on the prime minister to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee Cobra to deal with it. |