Summary

  • Residents of an evacuated tower block are meeting with the council to find out whether they will be allowed back into the building

  • They were forced to leave Barton House last month after initial surveys suggested it might collapse in the event of a fire or explosion

  • Bristol City Council has invited tenants of the 98 flats to City Hall to hear the results of detailed investigations

Live Reporting

Leigh Boobyer and Steve Mellen

  1. Hotel rooms and staying put

    Bristol City Council has been putting up evacuated Barton House residents in hotels and other temporary accommodation.

    But some residents have stayed put in the building they call home.

    Adrian, one of those who refused to leave, said: "It's not like a board game where you pick up the pieces and move them to different places, people are not going to be happy."

    Adrian sitting on a sofa in his flat in Barton House

    Adrian is one of the residents who has refused to leave Barton House

  2. How it all began

    Buses were used to take residents away from Barton House when it was first evacuated

    Around 300 adults and an estimated 100 children were asked to leave Barton House on 14 November, because concrete in the building had not been fitted correctly.

    The issue had been highlighted in building surveys carried out by Bristol City Council, which owns the building.

    The evening turned into chaos as the council decided the risk to residents unacceptable and began attempting to find places for families to spend the night.

    The building survey said three flats out of 98 in Barton House, which was built in 1958, were structurally compromised.