St Francis Tower in Ipswich suffers second severe water leak

This is the second time the St Francis Tower has experienced water damage

A tower block which has been subject to cladding remedial works since 2018 has suffered another severe water leak.

A leak occurred in St Francis Tower in Ipswich on the 13th floor on 14 December, causing damage to flats below.

The building is covered in plastic wrapping because of fire safety issues and concerns over cladding following the Grenfell fire disaster.

A resident told the BBC: "We are back to square one."

A previous "significant flood" in June meant residents had to be evacuated.

Residents received a letter from Block Management, which runs the building, informing them of the issues.

"A further more significant setback occurred on Thursday 14 December, whereby the property suffered another severe leak," the letter stated.

"We are still investigating the cause and circumstances which surround this latest event, but we do know that the leak occurred on the 13th floor and has caused substantial damage to the flats below."

Ross Bonner, who rents out four flats, said the residents are "back to square one"

The letter also highlights that damage sustained in the latest leak has affected previously undamaged homes.

"The water appears to have impacted the new render coating on the external wall. This means that some flats on floors 8-13 who were not damaged from the first leak have now been damaged," it added.

Ross Bonner, who rents out four flats, told the BBC: "We are back to square one, being told that the cladding remediation works and the leak repairs have suffered setbacks.

"Bearing in mind the cladding works started in 2018 and the leak repair has been ongoing for six months, with all the residents out of their homes."

The BBC contacted Block Management for further comment.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email [e-mail] or WhatsApp [phone]