Evacuated Barbourne Works residents criticise lack of information
Residents forced to evacuate their apartment block over dangerous cladding said they still do not know when they will be allowed home, more than a week later.On 4 June, 60 people, including eight children, were told to leave Barbourne Works in Worcester after inspectors found dangerous fire safety risks.Hotel bookings are only for a couple of nights at a time and one resident, Anne Eason, said she did not know from one day to another where she would be staying.A spokesperson for the building's managing agents, FirstPort, said they recognised how disruptive it was for residents but their decision was taken with their safety in mind.
Ms Eason said the events of the past week have left her struggling."I feel mentally exhausted because every day you don't know where you are, what you're doing or what's going on."I worry about my own mental health because I've been going to work and I've been there physically - but I'm totally distracted by what is going on."They don't give you any updates or email you after five o'clock but you can't ring up and speak to anybody about the content of it."Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service placed the building under a prohibition notice after an inspection found concerns dating back to when the former factory was converted 20 years ago." I'd like to see the government step in and not allow these organizations to treat us in such an inhumane way," Ms Eason added."We are people, we are human beings, yet we are not being treated as such."
Army veteran Chris Sherwin, 43, and Amy Hawkswood, 40, were also evacuated and are being housed at a hotel in Droitwich.The couple are due to get married next week but Mr Sherwin said the stress of the situation had overshadowed what should be a memorable time."Our stay has been extended for another day but they can't offer us the same hotel that we are in tomorrow so there is a chance we will be placed further afield - we don't know what is happening," he said."We're getting married but we don't know if we will be able to do any of the plans we wanted."He said since being evacuated, he has been back to collect belongings."I'm struggling with my mental health and the uncertainty is is crushing," Mr Sherwin added"The day-to-day, fighting, to know when you're going to get your next hotel, is exhausting."A spokesperson for the managing agent said they remained committed to working closely with everyone involved to provide "continued support and timely updates as we address the issues raised.""Our immediate focus has been to secure appropriate short-term accommodation for all affected residents," they added."Responsibility for ongoing and longer-term accommodation costs rests with the other parties."Specialist contractors are undertaking surveys this week, to better understand the building's structure."
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Preston temple vigil held for India plane crash victims
Prayers were held at a Hindu temple in Lancashire for those who lost their lives in the Air India crash in London Gatwick-bound flight crashed soon after take-off from the city's airport in the western state of Gujarat at about 09:00 BST on Thursday, killing 242 people on board. One person - a British man - gathered at the Gujarat Hindu Society Temple in Preston on Friday to pray for those who had died and their loved president Ishwer Tailor said he hoped the vigil would give people some "consolation". Mr Tailor said Preston has a large Gujarati community and admitted he wanted to do something sooner than the weekend "with people being in shock"."It is a catastrophe not just for people who have passed away but also for India," he said."We have had several people coming up to us and telling stories of some of their friends and relatives who have perished in this terrible accident and the stories keep coming." He said the temple doors would remain open for all communities."Whole families have been destroyed. All we can do in this moment in time is pray and make sure we remember them in our prayers," he said. There were 53 Britons on board the flight, along with 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one couple who died in the crash - 72-year-old Adam Taju and his wife Hasina, 70 - were described as the "foundation of our family" by their granddaughters, from Blackburn, Lancashire. Additional reporting by Anna Jameson and Nishma Hindocha Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tributes pour in for Britons killed in Air India plane crash
Sisters who travelled to surprise their grandmother and a couple who lost their only son in a previous air tragedy have been named among the British victims in the Air India crash as their families wait for answers on what caused the disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in a fireball on Thursday in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. A radiologist from Derby who had a 'newly discovered love of fish and chips' was on the flight with his family, the city's Hindu Temple said. Dr Prateek Joshi, who worked at the Royal Derby Hospital, moved to the UK from India in 2021, a colleague who worked closely with him said. Dr Rajeev Singh said: 'He often entertained colleagues with stories about his passions outside of work, including his newly discovered love of fish and chips and enthusiasm for walking in the Peak District. 'It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way.' Two sisters in their early 20s on their way home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday are also said to be among the victims. A cousin who lives in Ahmedabad said fashion designer Dhir and product manager Heer Baxi had an 'amazing aura' and wanted to 'roam the world'. 'They both had aspirations to be successful enough to roam around the world along with the parents,' Ishan Baxi said. Both women knew 'what is right and what is wrong', he added. 'Right now no one is able to come to terms because they both came here just to celebrate grandma's birthday but, see, the tragedy – they came, they celebrated and they both left the world, everything is vanished right in front of our eyes.' A couple who had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy were on the plane, Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who leads the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, said. They were returning from a religious celebration in India. 'This couple had gone to India for a religious celebration – they were coming back and now this has happened,' Mr Guruji, 53, said. 'After what has happened to their son as well – it's just terrible to think about.' A family of three from Gloucester were also on the flight, their family said in statement issued through their imam. Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter, Sara Nanabawa, were 'widely loved and deeply respected'. Ms Vorajee volunteered at a local Islamic school and was also a director for an organisation promoting understanding of the religion, Imam Abdullah Samad said. Mr Nanabawa ran a recruitment firm called Iceberg Recruitment Services which had a branch in Ahmedabad, India, according to the company's website. Imam Abdullah Samad said: 'This young family was incredibly close-knit – devoted parents and their beautiful, young daughter. 'They gave their time and energy to awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts, always guided by a strong sense of responsibility to help others. 'They were widely loved and deeply respected. His quiet generosity, her warmth and kindness, and their daughter's bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them.' Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 people on board the plane were killed when it crashed and struck a medical college in Ahmedabad. The British survivor spoke of the horror of watching people 'dying in front of my eyes'. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told DD News 'I still can't believe how I survived' as he spoke from his hospital bed on Friday. The 40-year-old told the broadcaster the plane felt like it was 'stuck in the air' shortly after take-off before lights began flickering green and white – adding: 'It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been in contact with Mr Ramesh to offer consular support, Downing Street said. The crash site was visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, with video footage showing him talking to Mr Ramesh in hospital. There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured. Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash. Aviation experts have speculated about the possible causes of the crash, from both engines failing – possibly due to a bird strike, as happened in the so-called Miracle on the Hudson in 2009 – to the flaps on the aircraft's wings not being set to the correct position for take-off. Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would provide 10 million rupees (around £86,000) to the families of each of those killed in the crash. The company said it would also cover the medical costs of the injured and provide support in the 'building up' of the medical college. Air India has set up friends and relatives assistance centres at Gatwick, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad airports to provide support in the wake of AI171's crash.
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Experts reveal all after Air India's sole survivor escaped
By A British man sitting in seat 11A survived the fatal Air India Flight 171 to the awes of the world as many said it was an un-survivable flight. Now, experts have discussed whether such 'miracle seats' that can survive a plane crash actually exist. When Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 40, emerged from the wreckage of the Air India flight alive on Thursday, the world declared it a miracle as the other 241 passengers tragically perished. 'I don't know how I came out of it alive', Ramesh, who was traveling with his brother from India to London , said from his hospital bed. His boarding pass, which he managed to take with him, showed he was sitting in seat 11A, which has since been dubbed the miracle seat following the gruesome crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Several factors, including his seat position, could have played into his miraculous survival, experts said. Ramesh was sitting in a window seat in the emergency exit row, meaning he had the easiest access to get off the plane the fastest. 'I do think it had something to do with it,' Ella Atkins, the head of the Crofton Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, told calling his survival an 'extraordinary miracle.' 'He happened to be ejected in a way that didn't kill him.' The 58-year-old Virginian, who has been an engineer since 1988, said one's placement inside an aircraft 'absolutely' matters when it comes to surviving a horrific crash, such as Ramesh did. However, it's nearly impossible for passengers to preselect a seat that's going to save them as a plane can crash in so many different ways, the aerospace engineer said. Unsurprisingly, for frontal impacts, it's safest to be in the back of the plane. For tail impacts, the front. For a fuselage problem, the middle is the most dangerous spot as that's where the fuel is located. If the plane nosedives into the ground, crashes while upside down or lands in the middle of the ocean, the likelihood of a 'miracle seat' saving you from death diminishes to near zero. Without having some magical foresight, passengers cannot predetermine the exact seat that has the highest potential of saving their lives. 'I'm not going out [of my way] to ask for 11A after this,' Atkin, a frequent flyer, said. 'If I had to choose a place not to sit, it'd be first class.' However, that doesn't stop the professor from snagging the upgrade every time Delta offers it to her because air travel continues to be exceptionally safe. The logic about economy being safer centers on the fact that most plane crashes are frontal impacts - with business and first class seats usually situated at the front of the cabin. 'Any aircraft can crash like any car can,' she told 'I don't think there's a miracle seat... Every accident is so unique.' For a December 2024 Jeju Air flight, a 737 plane that slammed into a concrete barrier and burst into flames, the 'miracle seats' happened to be crew spots at the back of the plane - quite far from the general location Ramesh's seat would have been on that flight. A 737 is a small plane with a single aisle with two rows, while a 787 has a dual aisle and three rows of seating. Some experts say this can make a difference in some crashes. In the instance of a water landing, you're more likely to find a miracle seat on a single aisle aircraft because their fuselages are slightly more rigid and less likely to tear apart on impact. One prime example is the 2009 'Miracle on the Hudson' crash, when an Airbus A320 crash landed on the Hudson River fully intact after a bird strike caued engine failure. All 78 aboard survived. However, the size of the aircraft doesn't matter when it comes to commercial flights, Atkin said, as they 'tend to be extremely safe' and are 'painstakingly designed and tested.' The chance of survival doesn't necessarily change based on the size for commercial planes. However, single-engine planes, like Cessnas, have a much higher crash rate. 'It's clear in this case that something went wrong,' Atkins said of the Air India flight. Atkins believes 'both engines failed for this to happen' and said that's an 'extremely rare' occurrence. She reminds nervous flyers to 'keep in mind all those flights' that land each and every day. University of Greenwich Professor, Ed Galea, agreed that Ramesh's location in the emergency exit more than likely had something to do with his survival. 'He's got the seat as close as you could possibly be to an emergency exit. You can't be any closer,' Galea told The Telegraph. 'It's right on his side and he's actually in the A seat, which is the window seat. You could reach up and touch the door, you're that close to it.' Another reason that could have factored into Ramesh's survival is the fact that his seat is located near the wing of the plane. The 'wing box' is the most fortified place on the aircraft. 'That's the strongest part of the aircraft because there's the most structure there,' Galea told the outlet. 'And I believe seat 11A is just at the front of that very strong part of the aircraft. That may have been a factor.' Also, sitting in the emergency exit rows carry the highest chance of survival during an life-threatening situation as passengers have the fastest exit. '[It] greatly increases the chance of survival when there is a fire,' University of York Professor John McDermid told The Telegraph. However, both professors also believe the main thing that saved Ramesh was simply luck. 'He also had a lot of good fortune,' Galea said. 'Because why did he survive and 11B sitting right next to him didn't, or 11C or 12A?' Ironically, an American Airlines employee told The Sun in December that row 11 was the worst to sit in for impatient travelers. Specifically, seats 11A and 11F were cited as horrible seats as it can make exiting the plane slower. 'If you're looking for a quick exit, avoid row 11 at all costs,' the unidentified flight attendant told the outlet. 'Being in the middle row, especially in a window seat, which tends to be either A or F, almost guarantees you'll be one of the last off the plane.' The flight attendant did not specify which aircrafts this involved, as seating charts vary by design. Another reason, seat 11A can be a bad spot to pick is do to some aircrafts, such as a Boeing 737 - which is not the same as the Air India flight - not having a window due to the air conditioning system being there, a Flight Radar expert told Unilad Tech . Ramesh is being treated at a hospital in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, where he told doctors that immediately after the plane took off, it began descending and suddenly split in two. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who examined Ramesh, told the Associated Press that he was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body' but that he 'seems to be out of danger.' Speaking to Indian broadcaster Doordarshan, Ramesh recounted his horrific ordeal, and spoke of how he witnessed two air hostesses die 'in front of my eyes.' 'For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seatbelt and got out of there,' he said. His seat was placed right next to the emergency door, which he says came off when the plane hit the ground. 'The side where I was seated fell into the ground floor of the building,' Ramesh recounted. 'There was some space. When the door broke, I saw that space and I just jumped out.' 'The door must've broken on impact,' he said. 'There was a wall on the opposite side, but near me, it was open. I ran. I don't know how.' When the plane hit the ground yesterday, seat 11A, where Ramesh was sat, collapsed into the ground floor of the building, instead of the upper levels where the jet's main body was badly destroyed. Ramesh also described how just moments after take-off, it 'felt like the plane had got stuck.' He recalled how the pilots tried to raise the jet, but it 'went full speed and crashed into the building'. Ramesh explained how the plane quickly caught fire following the crash, and said he burned his arm. Astonishing footage taken near the crash site yesterday showed Ramesh with visible injuries hobbling away from the jet before he was rushed to hospital for treatment. Ramesh, whose brother was also on the flight and is presumed dead, described yesterday how he heard a 'a loud noise' before the plane crashed. 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. 'There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.' The Indian government has launched an investigation into the fatal crash of the London-bound plane that came down in a residential area of Ahmedabad. Officials said most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
