Ipswich's St Francis Tower evacuated after flooding

Work is being carried out to strip flammable cladding at St Francis Tower, Ipswich

A 17-storey tower block has been evacuated after "a significant flood" caused "substantial damage".

It happened at St Francis Tower in Ipswich town centre late on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday.

Residents were taken to a rest centre and were being provided with temporary accommodation, the borough council said.

The building has been wrapped in plastic sheeting for several years to enable work to replace cladding.

Flooding can be seen in the basement of the building

The floodwater could be seen in the corridor of the flats

Ipswich Borough Council said in a statement that "a significant flood occurred, resulting in substantial damage".

"An evacuation of the building took place in the early hours of Sunday morning," it said.

"The council provided a rest centre with facilities for showers, beds, meals, and toys for the children until temporary accommodation was arranged on Sunday afternoon.

"The council has supported displaced residents by securing temporary accommodation, allowing the building owner and their insurers time to fully assess the situation and determine next steps."

Resident of St Francis Tower, Rand Moore, has been found temporary accommodation

Resident Rand Moore was one of those affected by the evacuation.

"Sunday morning we got woke - flooding - water just pouring through the lift shaft like a waterfall and our hallway was completely flooded by about two or three inches," he said.

It was "a bit of a blessing" that his own flat had "hardly any water in it".

"I had water coming through my bathroom light fitting - but it was pouring straight into my sink - I didn't even have to put a bucket there."

He said the council had "sorted everyone who could be bothered to hang around with rooms in hotels and motels".

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