Harlow residents 'will be reimbursed' if flats are demolished

Of the 54 homes, 34 are occupied by leaseholders and 15 by council tenants with five lying empty

Residents would be reimbursed if their flats were demolished, a council leader said.

Harlow Council said the Sycamore Field flats in the Essex town could be knocked down on fire service advice.

Conservative leader Dan Swords said bringing the properties up to standard would cost £5.5m, with leaseholders having to pay £110,000 each.

A report recommending demolition will be heard by the authority's cabinet on 15 February.

Mr Swords told BBC Essex he could not justify commissioning works that might not remedy the issues.

Council leader Dan Swords said the situation at Sycamore Field was "unique"

He said owners forced to vacate their homes would receive the value of their property plus an extra 10%, while any money they had spent on restoration would be taken into consideration.

Council tenants would be made the highest priority and were "likely to receive a payment in excess of £8,000 plus moving costs," Mr Swords said.

Of the 54 homes, 34 are occupied by leaseholders - 14 of whom are private renters - and 15 by council tenants. Five homes are empty.

The council described it as a "difficult" decision and said residents were likely to be be moved out of the flats in Sumners over a period of several months.

"If there were a fire in the block it would absolutely rip through the whole thing as we saw, tragically, with the Grenfell tragedy," said Mr Swords.

"It is an extremely difficult decision to take. The council doesn't wish to be in this position; the council absolutely doesn't wish to put residents in this position."

Residents of the flats in Sycamore Field had been informed of the plan, the council said