Residents return after apartment block evacuation

Residents living in an apartment block in Nottingham have returned to their homes after being evacuated due to a major water leak which "significantly compromised" the fire safety of the building.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) said it was made aware of the leak at Cranbrook House, on Cranbrook Street, on Friday and began evacuating residents at about 00:00 BST on Saturday.

A total of 60 people were moved from the building, according to a statement issued by the fire service and Nottingham City Council.

In an updated statement, NFRS said people were allowed back into their properties at 20:00 BST after the leak affected the building's fire alarm systems and lifts.

Residents who were unable to stay with family or friends spent the night at St Mary's Church on High Pavement, where city council officers and members of the British Red Cross provided support.

The fire service said they will "continue to engage with the management of Cranbrook House" into the next week to ensure "appropriate fire safety arrangements remain in place".

Assistant chief fire officer Damien West said: "The safety of residents has been our priority throughout and I'm really pleased that, less than 24 hours after the evacuation began, people have been able to safely return to their homes.

"This has been a fantastic multi-agency effort and I'd like to thank our colleagues across the Local Resilience Forum, including Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham City Council and East Midlands Combined County Authority, as well as the British Red Cross, St Mary's Church and the management at Cranbrook House for their support.

"Most importantly, I'd like to thank the residents themselves. Everyone has been incredibly cooperative and patient throughout what has understandably been a disruptive and difficult day, and that has made our job much easier."

James Saunders, vicar at St Mary's Church, said residents who spent the night were "remarkably resilient and cheerful".

He added: "It felt like a real coming together of the community.

"People were very supportive of each other and were making the best of a bad situation."

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