Residents demand urgent repairs at ‘death trap’ flats
Residents of Woodlands House have called on the Housing Executive to carry out urgent health and safety improvements at the multi-storey flats in Rushpark.
RESIDENTS living in a high-rise block of flats in Rushpark have branded the property “a death trap”, warning that a lack of fire safety measures is putting people’s lives at risk.
Concerned flat owners and tenants in Woodland House this week called on the Housing Executive to move ahead with a long-awaited programme of health and safety improvements at their building, and the neighbouring multi-storey block, Beechwood House.
Their plea comes just weeks after dozens of residents had to be evacuated from the 14-floor Woodland House complex by police officers and firefighters after a blaze broke out in a first floor flat.
Although no-one was seriously hurt in the early morning blaze, the incident has sparked fear among residents, who have raised serious concerns about the safety of the Housing Executive-owned building given the fact that smoke spread from the scene of the fire through ventilation ducts into a number of other flats.
David Chambers, who lives on the 14th floor of the tower block, told the Times: “Woodland House and Beechwood House both have a design of build flaw in the ventilation area of the premises. This flaw has, and will continue to have, a major impact on the safety aspect of the lifespan of the buildings, but more importantly the lifespan of the occupants.”
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Weather for Newtownabbey
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
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Wind direction: South east
