Up to 300 students have been evacuated from a block of flats after firefighters found "serious risk to life".
On Tuesday, January 24, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) issued a prohibition notice at privately-owned Eldon Court - at corner of Woodhouse Lane and St Marks Road in Leeds city centre. Residents have been taken to emergency accommodation after firefighters found Eldon Court "dangerous" and in a "so serious" condition that they could not allow people to stay there.
The notice was issued after new fire safety reforms took effect this week, implementing many of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its Phase 1 report. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said WYFRS has "no choice" but to evacuate people.
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He said: "The decision to take this action has not been taken lightly. Especially given the resultant upheaval it has caused for many people. We had no choice but to act in this way after our investigations highlighted serious concerns and risk to life.
"We were called in after a survey of the building revealed several potential fire risks. The risks were so serious that it would have been dangerous to allow people to continue to stay in the building once these were identified.
"It is our duty as the enforcing agency to ensure the safety of our residents is paramount. We only serve notice where the risk to people’s life is so serious that we must prohibit or restrict the use of all, or part of, the premises until specified matters have been remedied."
Mr Walton said emergency planning officials convened a meeting of local universities which have students living in the privately-owned accommodation block. He said all students were offered emergency accommodation through their place of study.
WYFRS said the notice requires action to remove the "imminent and immediate risk". If remedies are not made, the fire service can seek to prosecute those responsible, it said. According to student accommodation websites in Leeds, Eldon Court was built in 2005, is a short walking distance from Leeds University and comprises one to five-bedroom flats, with open plan kitchen and living areas.
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