'Defect' caused Manchester building collapse

Contractors working on demolishing an empty building which partially collapsed in Manchester city centre last week have determined it was caused by a structural problem.

Demolition contractor PP O'Connor said Alberton House on Bridge Street, which collapsed at about 14:50 BST on Friday, gave way due to "a defect in the existing structure discovered earlier in the week".

The firm said it was liaising with the Health and Safety Executive, Building Control and independent structural engineers "to make the site safe".

Following the building's collapse, Bruntwood SciTech, the site owners, acknowledged "the noise this generated may have caused some alarm" but stressed safety protocols were followed.

The area was cordoned off

The demolition contractors said "contingency arrangements were put in place for the potential collapse, including a strict exclusion zone" when those working on site became aware of the existing structural defect.

"There have been no injuries to our workforce or members of the public," the firm stated, adding: "The resulting debris associated with the collapse was fully contained within the footprint of the site."

Eyewitnesses described their shock on seeing the building collapse last week.

Tayy Ara, who works at nearby Cardinal House, said she and colleagues "felt shakes like a huge earthquake".

"Everyone across the building, which has eight floors, felt it."

The Alberton House building partially collapsed near the River Irwell on Friday 24 October

'Extreme dust cloud'

Chloe Gallagher, who was standing outside at the time, said she heard an "almighty crash" as part of the building and scaffolding fell.

"The dust clouds looked like they were coming across, so I grabbed my colleague and moved out of the way - but it was extremely loud, and the ground shook as well.

"We turned to look and the building was collapsing. It didn't look planned, as there was lots of scaffolding still up and there were people in the building next door rushing to the windows to check what happened.

"I saw half the building collapsing - then there was like this extreme dust cloud.

"We moved as soon as we saw the dust cloud coming towards us."

Properties around the partially collapsed Alberton House were evacuated.