Residents returning to tower block after flood

Mercia House was evacuated after a sprinkler system caused flooding

People evacuated from a tower block in Coventry due to severe flooding are starting to return to their homes after the building was declared safe.

Residents were forced to leave their flats on Friday after a fault in the sprinkler system caused flooding at Mercia House near Lower Precinct in the city.

Citizen Housing, which manages the 17-storey building, has confirmed that the source of the leak has been fixed and that fire officers declared the site safe on Tuesday.

The company said people would be returned back to their homes in phases over the coming days.

Residents were moved to temporary accommodation after the flooding was first reported on Friday at about 10:50 BST.

Citizen said the leak had been caused by a "freak accident".

The company has received criticism from residents over communication and their strict visiting rules when people were trying to recover items from their flats.

Peter Gill, director of housing, care, and support at the company, said: "We know the past few days have been difficult and disruptive for our customers, and we're grateful for their patience as we work to return them home safely.

"We'll be moving our customers back in stages over the next few days.

"This process will involve us assessing any water damage to individual properties with customers and making sure they are safe to return."