Sheffield Council evacuates 127 people from hazard building

Councillor Paul Wood, cabinet member for safety, shared the story during a discussion about private rented housing at a scrutiny meeting.

He said: “We have massive problems with some of the developments that are going on at the moment.

“A fortnight ago I got a call to say the power had gone off in some flats. When Janet (Sharpe, director for housing at the council) and I went down to investigate it wasn’t just the power had gone out it was that there were no fire alarms in it and no fire doors. We had to evacuate 127 people and find them emergency accommodation within two hours, which we did with the help of the universities. That highlighted a massive problem.”

He estimated the block must have been around £8 to £10 million to develop and included around 80 flats in a block.

Coun Wood said he would be taking the issue up with parliament after the general election, investigating how many private rented blocks are unchecked by the council and looking at how they can improve the system.