Portsmouth gas leak: Tower block residents return to flats

Portsmouth City Council said checks to make sure the flats are safe and ready to be re-occupied had been completed

Residents forced to leave their flats in a tower block for nine nights after a gas leak can move back in.

The 120 flats at Sarah Robinson House, Queen Street, Portsmouth, were evacuated on 6 September.

SGN said after repairs and safety checks "the building is now safe". Residents had been due to return on Monday at the earliest.

Residents of 20 flats that are still without gas supplies can either return or remain in temporary accommodation.

Food vouchers are being given to residents to replace fridge and freezer food that has gone off due to the electricity being turned off

SGN said it needed to carry out further repairs to the gas riser supplying their flats.

It said the gas supply was expected to remain off "for a short time".

Portsmouth City Council has given residents timeslots to move back in through Friday and Saturday.

The authority said staff would be on hand to help residents get rid of food that had perished in their fridges and freezers due to electricity being turned off in the building.

Residents are being given shopping vouchers to replace their food and each household will also get a £70 payment for each full 24-hours they were out of their homes.

Following the gas leak some residents were looked after at an emergency rest centre at nearby John Pounds Centre, while others stayed with friends and relatives.