Worcester Park fire: Resident 'on high alert' since moving back after blaze
Ms De Masi, an interior designer, is still working on the decoration of her flat while she tries to rebuild her life. She was one of 23 households that lost everything on the night of the fire almost six years ago.She was uneasy about moving back into the rebuilt Richmond House but hadn't found anything else of a suitable size or location."I don't want to be away from my network of friends, which has been my safety net in the past few years," she explains.Since the fire, she has suffered anxiety and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), so is particularly vulnerable to fire alarm issues in the newly-completed property.It has been activated five times since March, with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) attending on three of those occasions. And residents have been evacuated from the building twice in the night."I had heart palpitations the whole day because obviously the alarm went off during the night, which is exactly what happened the night of the fire," she says."You go to bed and you don't know if you're going to be woken up by another alarm. It's not a pleasant situation to be in."
'Complete lack of empathy'
Housing Association Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH) is the freeholder and management agent for Richmond House. Ms De Masi says her concerns about the fire warning system were initially not taken seriously.She feels residents have been given insufficient detail about works to the alarm system and the long gaps in communication show a "complete lack of empathy."MTVH has now addressed some of Ms De Masi's concerns and says it has specialists investigating why the alarm is being activated.A spokesperson said: "We rebuilt Richmond House to the highest fire safety standards, and fully involved residents in the process."In the wake of the fire, the housing association "offered to buy back flats from any resident who wished to move on", and to ease transition back into the building "offered residents a two-month grace period to move back in gradually"."We know how distressing fire alarm activations are for all residents and we particularly understand the anxiety this may cause for those original residents returning to Richmond House. Their safety, and feeling of safety, is hugely important to us and has been our focus both during the rebuild and return to their homes," they added.
The first residents of Richmond House had moved in only nine years before it was destroyed. There was a stay-put strategy for those living there, meaning that a fire should be contained in one area, allowing time for emergency services to safely evacuate the building.But the blaze tore through the timber frame in minutes. It was thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of residents helping each other to escape that no one was killed or seriously injured.An investigation by LFB and independent experts found serious safety defects. Missing cavity barriers and fire-stopping measures allowed the fire to spread rapidly.
'Inadequate fire safety measures'
Ms De Masi was part of a group that brought a £3m damages claim against the original construction firm, St James - a subsidiary of the Berkeley Group - and the Richmond House freeholder, MTVH. They settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.Solicitor Christian Hansen, a partner at Bindmans which represents the residents, said: "Since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, it's come to light that there are thousands of buildings across the country, which have been constructed with inadequate fire safety measures."He likened the fire in Worcester Park to the Spectrum building in Dagenham, which was destroyed in similar circumstances in August last year.Mr Hansen said most of the Richmond House residents "suffered traumatic psychological injuries on the night of the fire". "Having to go through a years-long battle with the constructors and the freeholders in their claim for compensation, was in many cases re-traumatising and actually exacerbated the symptoms they were suffering," he added.For Ms De Masi, the years of litigation, consultation on the rebuild and now ongoing maintenance issues have taken their toll."It is a second job. It's a very frustrating second job, for which you don't get paid, you don't get holiday," she said."And it actually ages you because you're constantly trying to get justice and to balance things out. It's very difficult."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Britain's most selfish street: Families left with fly-infested rubbish and overflowing bins due to neighbours from hell's parking
Householders are fuming after being left with fly-infested rubbish and overflowing bins due to parking chaos caused by residents from neighbouring streets. Some bins in one road in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, have not been emptied since May. Irate residents say the bin wagon can make it to the edge of the cul-de-sac. But the jobsworth driver refuses to turn into the road, saying they cannot get past vehicles parked on the corner. The bin crews not only refuse to walk down into the cul-de-sac to collect the bins but have also told residents not to wheel them to the wagon on health and safety grounds. Fearing a rat invasion, residents are taking bags of rubbish to the homes of friends and relatives so they can dispose of them in their bins. They are having to wash their plastic bottles before putting them out so they do not smell, and regularly douse their bins in fly spray. But the contents are being infested with insects and the rubbish is also attracting foxes and even badgers. Residents say parking chaos is being made worse by properties being converted into houses with multiple tenants. Residents say parking chaos is being made worse by properties being converted into houses with multiple tenants Steve Silkstone, 67, a retired miner, who has owned his house for eight years, has complained to local MPs about nearby properties being converted into HMOs. He organised a petition against the house next door being converted into bed sits which was signed by 260 people. Gesturing at his overflowing bin, he said: 'This one has been not been emptied for 12 weeks. It has not been emptied three times in a row now. 'All we can do is take the rubbish away in cars because if we leave it is going to attract vermin. 'It smells in the hot weather and there are flies in the plastic and bottles bin even though I have cleaned all the bottles out and keep spraying it with fly spray. 'I am putting my bottle and plastic into general waste because I have no more room. I have offered to wheel the bins out the road. 'But I was told we cannot do it because of health and safety. We need a residents parking scheme.' The two bedroom family house next door, which failed to sell for more than a year, has been snapped up by an absentee landlord and converted into a three double rooms upstairs and a single bedroom downstairs. He said: 'If there is just four of five tenants and they each have a car each it causes parking chaos. I am absolutely fed up with it all. 'I am dreading anyone moving into the HMO next door to me. They are going to need more bins too and where are they going to put them? 'Parking is already bad. There is a van that regularly parks in the street. The owner has got six other cars and does not even live around here.' Neighbour Leanne Cowie, 36, said: 'My bin for plastics has not been emptied since the first week in June. There are flies and rubbish everywhere. 'The foxes come in and shred it all over the street. It is disguising, especially when you pay your council tax. 'We have offered to take our bins onto the main road so they can be emptied but were told we cannot due to health and safety. 'The council have sent us all letters warning us about the parking but half the people parking here do not live around here so they did not get the letters. 'I have been having to take my recycling to my mum's house. It is ridiculous. I had to take two bags to her the other day. I am lucky she just lives across the road.' Robert Brown 74, was also concerned about houses on the street being converted into HMOs. 'Another house is being cleaned out. We are lucky with our bins because our front door faces onto a different street.' Jane Board, 70, said: 'My bin has not been emptied since May. It is a pain. They live around the corner and just dump their cars on the corner. 'It makes it impossible for the bin wagons to get around them. They want us to recycle. But a lot of the recyclables are going in general waste because I now have three months worth of recyclable waste. 'All the bin men have to do is get off their arses and walk around the corner so it can be done.' Susan Smith, 78, said: 'I sent a photo of all the parking congestion to the council ten years ago. Every time we go out we are lucky if we can get parked again. 'I have to put all my recycling in a box every three weeks and take it to my brother in law so he can put it in his bin because they not collected it.' Hayley Roberts, 52, said: 'My bin has not been emptied for weeks and I cannot recycle any more. I have lived here since 2000 and it has got worse and worse. 'There are so many more cars now than when I moved it. The council do have a smaller bin wagon. 'But they would rather just not empty our bins and send us letters about parking which are a waste of paper. It is annoying when you are paying full council tax. 'I am paying all this money to get my bins emptied and not even getting my bins emptied. The council just want to get their money and not do much for it. 'It is just worse now due to the parking because there are a lot more people renting.' Jane Revell, 53, said: 'They came on Friday or Saturday for one of my bins which was a shock because it had been waiting there for four weeks. 'I am lucky there is only two of us, It is a different story for a family of four. 'It is frustrating because sometimes the van comes almost up to the street and he does not see it as his job to wheel the rubbish out of the cul-de-sac to the wagon. 'We have offered to wheel the bins ourselves because it is not like it is a great distance but have been told "no".' Adrian White, 72, said: 'The problem is they cannot get around the corner because of the parking. It is mind boggling. 'Some of them just leave their cars in the middle of the road so the wagon cannot get down. I have to take a lot of my waste to my brother for him to put in his recycling bin. 'We have seen badgers and foxes and all sorts down here after the rubbish. Once you have badgers on your land you cannot get rid of them. They eat everything.' North East Lincolnshire Council said it had written to residents in December and would be writing to them again regarding the problem of parked vehicles on the corner of Douglas Road and Laurier Street. The council added: 'We are currently considering installation of enforceable parking restrictions on this corner to assist, but this will need to go through the legal process in the coming months. 'In the meantime, we request that residents do not park on the corner of the street on collection days so that we can access the street and collect their waste and recycling.'
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Confessions of Samuel Pepys by Guy de la Bédoyère review – journal of a predator
Samuel Pepys's diary, which covers 1660 to 1669, is regarded as one of the great classic texts in the English language. Words spill out of Pepys – 1.25m of them – as he bustles around London, building a successful career as a naval administrator while navigating the double trauma of the plague and the Great Fire of London. Historians have long gone to the diary for details of middle-class life during the mid‑17th century: the seamy streets, the watermen, the taverns and, as Pepys moves up the greasy pole, the court and the king. Best of all is his eye for the picturesque detail: the way, for instance, on the morning of 4 September 1666, as fire licks around his house, Pepys buries a choice parmesan cheese in the garden with the intention of keeping it safe. Not all of the diary is in English, though. Quite a lot of it is in French (or rather Franglais), Latin, Spanish and a curious mashup of all three. Pepys increasingly resorted to this home-brewed polyglot whenever the subject of sex came up, which was often. Indeed, sex – chasing it, having it, worrying about getting it again – dominated Pepys's waking life and haunted his dreams, many of them nightmares. Putting these anguished passages in a garbled form not only lessened the chance of servants snooping, but also served to protect him from his own abiding sense of shame. As an extra layer of concealment, Pepys wrote 'my Journall' using tachygraphy, an early form of shorthand. Pepys's diaries were published in bowdlerised form in the 19th century, and it was not until the 1970s that they became available in 11 unexpurgated volumes. Even then, explains Guy de la Bédoyère, there were many transcription errors and, crucially, no attempt was made to translate the coded passages into English. Historians knew about them, of course, not least because all you needed was a bit of classroom French and Latin to work out their meaning. On 25 March 1668, Pepys records that he has given 'Mrs Daniels' eight pairs of gloves 'for tocar my prick con her hand', which is hardly likely to keep anyone guessing for very long. All the same, it has been easy to lose sight of the sexual thread of Pepys's diary amid all the chatter about navy ships and expensive cheese. Which is why, for the first time, De la Bédoyère has gone back to the original manuscript and translated all of Pepys's coded entries, publishing them end-to-end with only a minimum of contextual information. The result is an extraordinarily detailed snapshot of life seen through the eyes of a man for whom no day was complete unless he had managed to fondle at least one woman's 'mameles' (breasts) on his way to or from work. In the past, people have blamed Pepys's bad behaviour on the Restoration. These were the years when the dour pieties of Oliver Cromwell had been replaced by Charles II's permissive libertarianism. But there is much more – and much worse – to the occluded parts of Pepys's diary than mere bawdiness. On 3 February 1664, for example, he is travelling in a carriage down Ludgate Hill when he witnesses three men raping a woman and wishes he could join in. On 1 December 1660, he beats his maid Jane savagely with a broom, though it is clear that he is eyeing her up for a future assignation. He often uses the words 'towsing' and 'tumbling' to describe what he is doing with women which sounds jolly and bucolic until De la Bédoyère explains that these terms are euphemisms for violence. The only occasion on which Pepys might hold back was if he knew a woman was single, which would make any pregnancy impossible to explain away. (It was a mercy that he didn't realise that an earlier operation for a bladder stone had probably left him sterile.) For that reason, he badgered any girl he wanted to sleep with regularly to get married, so he could carry on regardless. As news of his behaviour got around, so others would try to exploit it. On 11 August 1665, an old waterman called Delkes presented Pepys with his daughter-in-law, who was willing to sleep with him in return for a guarantee that her husband would not be pressed into naval service. And then there was his marriage. Pepys had wed Elizabeth when she was just 14. He was proud of her beauty, congratulating himself on how much prettier she was than the many grand ladies at court whom he encountered on his way to becoming secretary to the navy. Everything else about her frustrated him. He grumbled about her untidiness, extravagance, moodiness and the fact that her heavy periods and a recurrent labial abscess meant that she often wasn't available for sex. Most of all, he resented the way that she had taken to hiring plain maidservants in the hope that he would leave them alone (it didn't work). Inevitably he took out his frustrations with his fists: on 19 December 1664 he gave Elizabeth such a black eye that she was unable to go to church on Christmas Day for fear of what the neighbours would think. While Pepys's dark side has long been known, it is something else to be confronted with the evidence laid out quite so starkly. The man who emerges from De la Bédoyère's meticulous filleting is no Restoration roustabout but a chilling embodiment of male entitlement. This newly explicit view of Pepys does not negate the continuing value of his diary – which remains a magnificent historical resource – but from now on it will be impossible to go to it in a state of innocence, let alone denial. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion The Confessions of Samuel Pepys: His Private Revelations by Guy de la Bédoyère is published by Abacus (£25). To support the Guardian order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Charity shreds 'irreplaceable' adoption files to save space
A charity has apologised for the "inexcusable" destruction of around 4,800 personal records linked to adoptions in Scotland, including irreplaceable photographs and handwritten letters from birth Birthlink has been fined £18,000 after shredding the files to free up space in its filing cabinets four years Information Commissioners' Office (ICO), which imposed the fine, described the lost material as "deeply personal pieces in the jigsaw of a person's history, some now lost for eternity".The charity's board said it was "deeply sorry" and that it was impossible to say how many people were affected. A statement added: "We want to assure everyone who's interacted with Birthlink that we will do everything in our power to ensure this does not happen again."A spokesperson for the Movement for Adoption Apology Scotland campaign said: "These items weren't stored out of administrative duty, but held in the hope that one day, someone would come looking. "That hope has now been shredded, quite literally."Birthlink did not keep a log of what was destroyed but it believes only "a very small proportion" of the records included personal documents, which do not exist in any form elsewhere. Files destroyed Since 1984, the company has operated the Adoption Contact Register for enables adopted people, birth parents and others to register their details with a view to being "linked" and potentially a connection was made, Birthlink retained what were called "linked records" - closed paper files stored in filing cabinets - in case they could be of further use in the by January 2021, the charity was running out of space and reviewed whether it could destroy the a board meeting, it was agreed that only replaceable records could be disposed of. A few months later, the contents of 24 filing cabinet drawers were bagged up and has estimated that personal data from around 4,800 individuals was destroyed and that less than 10% of the lost files contained "cherished items". These include photographs, handwritten letters from birth mothers and fathers to their children and handwritten letters from birth families to 8,300 files survived the process culling of the records only came to light two years later, after the Care Inspectorate carried out a short-notice inspection at Birthlink in September internal investigation, ordered by Birthlink's interim chief executive, found that a member of staff had expressed concern about shredding photographs and other records at the they were told "it needed to be done".Birthlink reported itself to the ICO, who said the charity could have prevented the destruction with "cost effective and easy to implement" policies and regulator imposed a £45,000 fine, later reduced to £18,000, to promote compliance with data protection and deter others from "making similar mistakes". 'Poor understanding' Sally Anne Poole, the ICO's head of investigations, said: "The destroyed records had the potential to be an unknown memory, an identity, a sense of belonging, answers."It is inconceivable to think, due to the very nature of its work, that Birthlink had such a poor understanding of both its data protection and records management process."The ICO welcomed the steps taken by Birthlink to ensure it does not happen again, including new policies and the appointment of a data protection officer. Birthlink's interim CEO Abbi Jackson told BBC Scotland News that the charity mainly worked with people affected by "historic forced adoption" between 1930 and said: "We want to reiterate our deepest and most sincere regret that this happened."We have failed people who put their trust in us. We want to urge anyone who thinks they should have had information on file to phone our helpline."We have a number of very experienced, knowledgeable staff who're there to help on each individual case."In 2023, the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a "sincere, heartfelt and unreserved" apology to people affected by the practice of forced Movement for Adoption Apology Scotland campaign said: "The emotional and historical significance of what was lost cannot be overstated."These were not administrative items, but the last remaining traces of relationships shattered by policies and practices that many now acknowledge as unjust and highly traumatising."Anyone worried about the loss of personal information can contact Birthlink's support service through dataprotection@
