Tower block residents living ‘in fear’ of electrical wiring hazard on estate

Published: 7 May, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

Loose cabling on a 23-storey Finsbury estate is a potential safety hazard, according to a report by Homes for Islington (HfI).
Now anxious residents at Michael Cliffe House are demanding action to remove the trailing TV and telephone wires and open circuit boxes on communal balconies at the block in Skinner Street.
The report is a concern in the wake of the fire in the Lakanal House tower block in Southwark, which claimed six lives last July.
Michael Cliffe House residents have formed a protest group on the estate to urge HfI to remove the wires and broken equipment which is no longer in use.
Jennie Wallace-Bird, co-secretary of Finsbury estate tenants and residents group, said the report had indicated that residents could easily trip on the trailing wires. “We need to use the balconies to exit the estate in the event of a fire, but there are so many wires that people could trip.
“The circuit boxes are so old that we’ve had pigeons nesting in them. The boxes have been left open with wires trailing out for some time. It looks very unsightly.”
Millie White, 41, a mother of two who lives on 18th floor, said the wires hanging out are a real worry. “We’ve had electrical blackouts in the flats, so something is wrong with the wiring on our estate. We’ve been told the wires are not live but I wouldn’t touch them to find out.”
A HfI spokesman said: “We take the safety of our residents seriously. One of the things we do to reassure residents is carry our regular fire risk assessments.
“Michael Cliffe House was recently inspected by Islington council’s Building Control. The inspectors were happy with the general provisions and plan to return to the block in a year.
“They did identify minor works including fixing TV and telephone cables, and arrangements are being made to carry out these works as soon as possible.”