Residents return to flats after fire safety work

The fire service said the building now met the minimum fire safety requirements

Residents of a luxury waterfront development in Lincoln have been allowed to return to their homes after spending months in temporary accommodation due to the building being deemed a fire risk.

A prohibition notice was issued by Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service in April for the One The Brayford development on Brayford Wharf North.

At the time, the fire service said the risk was "so serious that use of the premises ought to be restricted".

In an update it said work undertaken since then meant the building now met the minimum requirements outlined by the fire service's prohibition notice, allowing the 51 residents to return.

When the prohibition notice was issued in April the fire service said the external walls were combustible and warning systems were inadequate, and advised residents to find alternative accommodation until the issues were addressed.

City of Lincoln Council provided temporary emergency accommodation for all the displaced residents at a cost of £80,000.

'Reassurances in place'

In an update on Thursday, Dan Moss, head of prevention and protection at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the building now met the "minimum requirements".

"Our teams have been in close collaboration with the responsible persons for the building over the last few months, ensuring that the proper control measures have been implemented and remaining safety works to address deficiencies are scheduled to take place," he said.

"With these measures and reassurances in place, we have been able to issue a withdrawal letter lifting the prohibition notice, and have notified the residents' association that flat owners can return to the property.

"I appreciate that this period has been disruptive for residents, but once we understood the extent of the fire risks at One The Brayford, action needed to be taken.

"I'd like to thank everyone for their patience while we worked behind the scenes with the responsible persons to reduce the risks associated with the building, and I'm glad that residents can now return home to normality."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices