Complaints over 'horrendous' communication after fire
BBCResidents have criticised the "horrendous" communication from authorities after a factory fire scattered debris and dust over their neighbourhood.
Homes near the Daler-Rowney site in Bracknell, Berkshire, were evacuated on 25 May, with some residents spending a night in temporary accommodation before returning the following day.
No-one was injured in the fire, believed to have started accidentally, but a public meeting on Wednesday heard residents complain of "chaos" in the aftermath.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which led the response, said it was undertaking a "structured review" into what had happened, "as well as how we worked together with partners".
Peter Smith, who attended the meeting at Jennett's Park Community Centre, praised the firefighters for their role in saving people, animals and their homes.
However, he said residents had received "mixed messages" in the aftermath and there was still "a lot of pent-up anger and a lot of frustration".
"The police response didn't feel well planned," he said.
"I think the council's response felt very similar. It just felt it was a Bank Holiday Monday and the key people weren't around."
Bracknell Forest Council said earlier this week that its staff visited about 100 homes and identified those that needed to be cleaned by specialists.
It said that showed the most severe impact was "limited to several properties very close" to the fire.
Anyone who has picked up debris should not put it in their bin and it would be removed by specialists, it said.
Testing showed contaminated firewater entered the water system and there was "some evidence of environmental impact", which the Environment Agency was monitoring, the council said.
Becki Longstaff, who also attended the meeting, said: "The lack of communication was horrendous.
"It was just chaos. No one knew what was going on, no one knew where to go. No one knew what was happening."
She said she cleared up debris in her garden after being allowed back into her home, only for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to warn days later about a potential health risk of doing so.
A third resident, Rob Francis, said authorities could improve their response for similar incidents in the future.
"I think there are still lessons to be learned about communication that should have been ironed out decades ago for this type of situation that are still not being implemented in 2026," he said.
Tim Readings, area manager for the fire service, told the meeting he was "grateful for the flexibility, patience and quick actions of the public".
And in a statement released on Friday, he said the first crew arrived within five minutes of a call and a major incident was declared "once the scale and potential risk" of it was clear.
"We would again like to thank partners and the public for their support and patience during what was a challenging incident," he added.
A Thames Valley Police (TVP) spokesperson said the force "understands the concerns" raised by residents and "recognises the inconvenience this incident has caused to those affected."
They added: "We supported in a multi-agency response, assisting with evacuations, road closures and maintaining public safety. Once the immediate risk to the public had reduced and there was no longer a role for police, officers stood down."
Andrew Hunter, executive director for place at Bracknell Forest Council, said the authority was "on hand to assist when requested to do so" by police and the fire service.
"Our role was to respond to requests for help and provide services where needed, which we did."
He added: "We appreciate there is always a lot to communicate in these situations, often with information evolving and changing, which can be confusing.
"Residents have told us that they want a central hub for information going forward, which we are in the process of setting up and will update as soon as we get new information."
