Ipswich Cardinal Lofts residents ordered to evacuate as second prohibition order placed by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

Remaining residents at a block of flats in Ipswich which was partially evacuated last year have been ordered to leave after further fire risks were discovered.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service revealed it had 'no choice' but to put a second prohibition order in place at Cardinal Lofts after the top three floors were vacated last November.

This comes as new discoveries hinted the state of the building was 'worse than previously thought'.

Grey GR, the management company behind the flats, advised residents to leave last month as they were no longer safe of occupation after an independent report.

However, as many as 20 per cent of flats remained occupied, as people returned despite the call to evacuate.

Despite this, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service decided not to place a prohibition order for those remaining.

However, the service said it received new information, which suggested structural issues would hamper evacuation in the case of a blaze, and increase the chance of fire spreading.

The decision was then made to order an evacuation.

Toby Gray, from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service will only ever issue a Prohibition Notice when all alternative options have been exhausted as we appreciate how devastating it is for people to leave their homes.

“In the case of Cardinal Lofts, we have recently learned that the state of the building is worse than previously thought, posing a danger to occupants, and putting our firefighters and the waking watch at risk of serious injury or death in the event of a fire, meaning it would be highly irresponsible for us not to enforce an immediate evacuation of all floors.

“We are disappointed on behalf of residents that the fire service was not fully informed about structural issues at the property. Had we been made aware of these dangerous defects when the first Prohibition Notice was issued, months of uncertainty and confusion for those living at Cardinal Lofts may have been avoided.

“Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has repeatedly urged Grey GR to provide a timeline for remediation works to give residents the clarity they deserve, and remains committed to working with partners, including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to seek the best outcome for all those affected.”

Grey GR said it understood this would be a distressing time for residents, but recommended the building be evacuated.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "We ask all remaining residents still residing in Cardinal Lofts to comply with the prohibition notice.

"Our managing agent is on the ground to help residents in the evacuation and coordinate transportation to the short-term hotel accommodation Grey has secured."

The spokesperson noted it is working to provide residents with alternate lodgings and that it remained committed to getting residents the help they need.

They added: "This situation is extremely complex, and whilst some work has started, it would be wrong to provide imprecise estimates at this time how long it might take to fully correct all the issues.

"This is a very challenging time, and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption. Our priority is to ensure resident safety and we want to have residents back in safer homes as soon as possible.”

Ipswich Cladiators and residents have been approached for comment.

More to come.