Bromley Council 'was warned' of building fire risk

Ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters saved the Beckenham Odeon cinema after flames ripped through a nearby building

Bromley Council had been warned about fire safety risks at a high street building where a large blaze occurred, local businesses say.

Flames ripped through the property based beside the Beckenham Odeon cinema on Tuesday morning with some 70 firefighters taking two-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze under control.

Local business owner Chris Penfold said he had raised concerns about a wooden structure on the roof of the building and told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it "was just a question of when, rather than if [a fire broke out]".

Bromley Council said it could not comment on the likely cause of the fire, which is being investigated by the Met Police.

One local business owner said he had raised concerns of a wooden structure on the roof of the property with the council

A spokesperson for the council said: "We need to be careful here given there are ongoing live investigations, including as we understand it, into the cause of the fire, which is not for the council to comment or speculate about."

They added that the council was "actively investigating alleged planning breaches with this matter very much ongoing".

The owner of nearby jewellery shop Vásconez Silver, who did not want to be named, said the LFB visited the building two days before the blaze, to assess whether it was a fire safety risk.

The business owner said she had "sent so many emails to the council and to the fire brigade. We have complained so many times. Nothing has been done".

Previously the LFB had issued a prohibition notice to a food outlet based on the ground floor of the building and ordered it to close due to fire safety concerns.

The LFB said it could not comment until the investigation into the fire was completed.

The owner of the property declined to comment to LDRS when they were approached on Tuesday.

In a statement released following the fire, local MP Liam Conlon said he was deeply grateful to the LFB for its "swift and courageous response".

He added he had "spoken with Bromley Council to ensure they provide residents with the help they need, including temporary accommodation where required".

The cinema was shut throughout Tuesday but Odeon said it had partly reopened on Wednesday afternoon, with screens one and two having to remain "closed for now".

No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze.

Correction 8 October: This article originally said that Bromley Council could not comment and was updated on 2 October to include the statement that the council had released in response to the fire.

Separately, the article also included a line which suggested that Bromley Council is further investigating reports that the food outlet based on the ground floor of the building had been issued with a prohibition notice and ordered to close by the LFB due to fire safety concerns.

We have amended this section of the article to make clear that the two are not linked and while Bromley Council is actively investigating alleged planning breaches, the LFB had separately previously issued a prohibition notice to a food outlet based on the ground floor of the building and ordered it to close due to fire safety concerns.