Exclusive:"My heart is truly breaking" - Sheffield tattooist reveals possible reason for London Road building collapse
The owner of a Sheffield tattoo studio which collapsed over the weekend has spoken out
A Sheffield tattoo artist has spoken of her heartbreak after a building collapse destroyed her studio.
The artist, named Paula and who is based at Modelajna Tattoo on London Road, said her “heart is truly breaking” after being left unable to work, with all of her equipment still inside the unsafe building.
In an urgent message to clients, she said: “To all my clients who’s booked in the near future – the building has collapsed and affected my studio.
“At the moment I cannot enter and collect my equipment which leaves me unable to work.”
While the exact cause of the collapse has not been confirmed, Paula said the building had been suffering from persistent leaks, which she believes may have contributed to the structural failure in the early hours of Sunday.
She explained that neighbouring businesses had also experienced similar problems.
“So we don’t know exactly what happened, but the studio had a lot of leak issues and I guess this was probably part of the reason,” she said.
“The shops next door also had the same issue.”
Despite the devastation, she stressed that no one was injured.
“The good news is we are all safe and everyone who was inside at the time was evacuated,” she said.
Paula also spoke of the wider impact on the community, adding: “My heart is truly breaking for all the tenants of other shops and flats who’s left without work and their homes.”
Recalling the moment of the collapse, Paula described the frightening scenes captured on her home security footage.
“On my CCTV I could not see anything, I could hear the collapsing but also a lot of banging,” she said.
“That turned out to be firefighters and police waking up tenants and getting them out. Thankfully that happened.”
Structural surveyors are expected to assess the building in the coming days, with the site currently deemed too dangerous to enter.
Paula said she is waiting to find out whether it will be safe to retrieve her equipment.
Although she has already secured a new premises, she explained she cannot resume work without her tools. She said even if she cannot recover them, replacing everything will take time, and she must also wait for council approval before reopening.
She said she had been overwhelmed by the support from clients and the public, describing her studio as more than just a workplace.
“It’s really crazy to see the amount of support and that my studio was such a safe space for not only me, but lots of my clients,” she said.
There has since been some progress at the scene, with debris cleared and scaffolding put in place to stabilise the structure.
This could soon allow tenants to re-enter and collect belongings.
For now, Paula said she is focusing on the fact that no one was hurt, adding: “Out of all of it we have to be happy that no one was injured… the tenants have been evacuated just in time.”
She remains hopeful she will be able to recover her equipment and begin rebuilding her business in the coming weeks.