Trespassers told to stay away from unsafe flats

Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich has been vacant since 2023 when it was evacuated

People trespassing in a vacant and unsafe blocks of flats have been urged to stop by the building owner.

Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich was evacuated in February 2023 after Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service deemed it a safety risk because of structural issues.

Videos on social media have emerged from urban explorers - people who explore abandoned or hidden buildings and areas - inside the building.

Grey GR, the building's freeholder, said trespassing continued to be "an ongoing challenge" and it urged people "not to access the building illegally".

"Cardinal Lofts is a complex building and Grey's professional teams concluded it is unviable to remediate the building," the spokesperson said.

"We have taken comprehensive measures to secure the building, including strengthening controls at all access points, however, anti-social behaviour and trespassing continue to be an ongoing challenge we are continually acting to prevent.

"The property is unsafe, and we urge people not to access the building illegally."

A spokesperson for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service also said there had been evidence people had been in the building.

The fire service said it had told the owner it "should be doing everything they can to ensure that nobody is able to gain access".

Social media videos have emerged from urban explorers inside Cardinal Lofts

About 100 residents were removed from the nine-storey building two years ago and it has remained vacant ever since.

Grey GR said in a letter to leaseholders at the time it had "no way" of knowing the extent of the issues in the building when it took control of the property in 2017.

Other buildings in Ipswich have similarly suffered from urban explorers breaking in.

In August, John Howard, owner of the vacant Great White Horse Hotel on the corner of Tavern Street and Northgate Street, said people breaking inside were "a bunch of idiots".