Labour MP James Asser has said "serious questions need to be asked" about the safety of three Canning Town residential blocks after around 211 households were told to leave their homes in the middle of the night.
Residents of Sovereign Tower, Centurion Tower and St Vincent Court on Hoy Street were moved out in the early hours of Friday 23 October after engineers raised concerns about a crack in a concrete transfer slab beneath the buildings. London Fire Brigade crews, called to the site late on Thursday, helped people to a rest centre.
James Asser: 'A clear timeline of when they'll be able to return home'
"I am extremely concerned about the news that residents in Centurion Tower, Sovereign Tower and St Vincent Court have been asked to leave their homes immediately," James Asser said. "Serious questions need to be asked about the safety of the building, and the scale and pace of any remediation works required."
"Residents must be given comprehensive support, with a clear timeline of when they'll be able to return home," he added. The MP said he would keep asking questions on residents' behalf and stay in close contact with all the authorities involved, and urged anyone who needs help to contact his office.
Emergency support from Newham Council
Newham Council set up a rest centre and provided emergency accommodation for residents with nowhere else to stay. Deputy Mayor John Gray, the council's cabinet member for housing, said the council was "here for residents" and was working with the property management company "to achieve the best solutions for our people".
The managing agent, Prime Property Management, said it ordered the evacuation after engineers identified "an imminent risk to life associated with a transfer slab beneath the buildings". It said the problem came to light during work on the buildings' safety cases and was confirmed by a site inspection on 21 October. An investigation is under way, and residents have not yet been told when they can go back.
