EXCLUSIVE: Residents tell of fear after council admits cladding impacted tower block fire
Bristol City Council say a form of polystyrene cladding helped a fire spread at Ecclestone House in Barton Hill
Last updated 9th Nov 2022
A resident at Ecclestone House in Bristol, which it's emerged is covered in a form of flammable cladding, has told us his home feels like "a prison cell in the sky".
We visited the block after it was revealed a fire last month (October 20), which injured six people, was helped to spread by Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Cladding.
Bristol City Council revealed the news on Tuesday (November 9) saying they are now bringing in new safety measures including new evacuation plans at all blocks covered in the cladding and a new programme of work to remove it.
They also say Waking Watches will be brought in at all relevant buildings and plans to install sprinkler systems will be "accelerated", with the Watches set to come in at an extra 27 buildings on top of 11 in the city where they already operate.
This resident we spoke to said he had not heard the news about the cladding and asked not to be named.
"It don't surprise me a bit (about the cladding)," he said.
"It doesn't surprise me at all.
"Most of these blocks were built like that, pretty much on the cheap..."
The man said he would like to see the building, which he said was built in the 1960s, knocked down.
"To be honest with you I feel this place should be demolished," he said.
"I feel most tower blocks are well passed their sell by date.
"They should all be demolished and we should be rehoused.
"Of course, that's never going to happen because there's a housing crisis in this country."
He told us he is now hoping to move out, hopefully at some point in the new year.
"I pay my rent, I pay my council tax (and) it feels like an insult," he said.
"I'm paying to live in a prison cell.
"It's a prison cell in the sky."
The cladding news was revealed in a blog written by City Council housing boss Tom Renhard, and posted on the Mayor of Bristol's website.
However, every resident we spoke to said they were not aware.
One woman added the fire had spread so quickly that she could hear it moving and added that had it broken out at both ends of the building instead of just one, she may not have survived.
"Ensuring fire safety at all of our 62 high-rise tower blocks is a crucial responsibility," Councillor Renhard's blog reads.
"This is why we have invested £2.5 million every year to make fire safety improvements to our blocks.
"As new risks have come to light, we have had to take an urgent decision in consultation with Avon Fire and Rescue Service to introduce further measures."
Councillor Renhard says several changes have already been made since London's Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017 which killed 72 people, including making sure none of Bristol's blocks have the same form of cladding as was in place there.
The council, he says, has also installed fire breaks in blocks and improved compartmentation, which helped successfully contain another recent fire, at Twinnell House in Easton, inside the flat in which it started.
A man still died in that blaze though when he fell while trying to climb out of a window to escape the flames.
Councillor Renhard says messages are being sent out to residents in blocks where Waking Watches are now being introduced.
"Letters will be hand delivered to residents on the day Waking Watch provision commences and text messages will be sent to make sure there is no confusion as to evacuation plans in the event of a fire," his blog reads.
"We will also be publishing our latest fire safety risk assessments from next week for each high-rise.
"We are making sure that, as well as our residents, our partners in other Core Cities and national partners are updated on these changes.
"We have also written to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities regarding these important changes and are seeking financial support for these additional costs.
"The new Waking Watch provision is an additional precautionary measure only but it is something we feel must be done to reassure our residents that their homes are protected until the works programme is complete. "
Earlier today we met West of England Mayor Dan Norris and asked him about the issue.
"There has been quite a long argument with the government (in London), about making resources available to do this promptly and rapidly," he said.
"That's been part of the criticism of the government, that they're not taking this seriously enough because they're dragging their feet and I think this perhaps reflects that situation."
He added Bristol City Council is taking the issue "terribly seriously".
"We've got to make sure that we do everything that we can to get the government to part with some money, to get the works done, because that's the only way to make sure that we're safe really."
A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the Ecclestone House fire.