2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Yvonne Deeney)
Safety fears have been raised over a lack of fire alarms in the corridors of a five-story block of flats. Zoe Ogbourne made a formal complaint to Abri Housing Association, which owns Speedwell Baths, after a fire in a neighbour's flat last month. Because of the lack of alarms in the corridors, she says she only became aware of the fire because she could smell smoke.
“They didn’t knock on the door and tell us about the fire but there were six fire trucks downstairs, two fire cars, the whole road was closed off so if anyone is coming into the block they are going to see that and think. “It’s quite daunting when we should have had the alarms in the hallway to let us know there was a fire. Someone from Abri tried to reassure me and he said we don’t need so many fire alarms and the chance of us having a fire is slim,” she added.
Speedwell Baths is a housing development at the site of the former swimming pool that was completed in 2022. The building is five storeys and has 31 one and two bedroom flats. Zoe is concerned about a fire happening in the corridors and said that the security door downstairs has never worked.
“All it takes is a group of kids to yank that door open and come in and start a fire because they are bored, which does happen, “ she added. Head of fire safety at Abri Steve Coles said: “We take fire safety matters very seriously, and the wellbeing of our customers remains our priority. "Speedwell Baths was designed and constructed to support a 'stay put' evacuation strategy, which is why there is no communal area fire alarm.
Individual flats are constructed as fire-resisting compartments, containing a fire within the affected unit without spreading to the communal areas or other flats. "Each flat is fitted with heat and smoke detectors to alert residents if a fire occurs within their own flat. This approach to fire safety is in line with the Building Regulations and Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
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