Fire officers have carried out safety checks at a Salford apartment block following complaints a bin storage room presented a ‘real danger to life’ for residents. Images taken by Adelphi Wharf apartment block resident Toby Lynch, 38, appeared to show plastic bags full rubbish bulging out of the fire door on the bin storage room.
“There is a real danger to life and a massive safety breach,” he wrote in an email to the property management. “The bin shed is overspilling with rubbish and has now breached two fire doors.”
Around 500 people live in the Adelphi Street complex, which is managed by Xenia Estates and sits a stone’s throw from the University of Salford. But according to the firm, the blame for the piles of rubbish lies elsewhere.
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Toby Lynch
They claim a representative from their team visited the site on Friday (December 27), where it was found rubbish had been deposited on the floor, rather than in the nearby bins – which were mostly ’empty’.
Its team, Xenia Estates said, removed the bags of rubbish by transferring them into the bins. A representative from the firm added a reminder will be sent to all residents regarding the availability of bins in the next few days.
But Mr Lynch says the issue has been ongoing for several months, adding: “This is the 74th email I have sent about this in as little as 12 weeks.”
Looks a bit full in there
A spokesperson for Xenia Estates said: “We were notified by the residents at Adelphi apartments of a concern with the bins today, Friday December 27. Our team visited the apartments immediately, where we discovered that the bins were mainly empty, as residents had been putting the rubbish by the side of the bins, rather than opening the bin lids and depositing the rubbish inside.
“Our team put all the rubbish, which had been discarded, into the bins and will be reminding tenants of their responsibility to ensure their rubbish is disposed of correctly.
“Xenia Estates are committed to managing what can be a challenging development at times. The situation will continue to be monitored and any further appropriate action taken to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the residents onsite.”
The Adelphi Wharf apartments
Carlos Meakin, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s director of prevention and protection, said: “Building management companies are responsible for ensuring that their buildings meet the relevant fire safety standards so that residents are not put at risk.
“Residents’ safety is of paramount importance to us and our investigation and enforcement team will be attending the building today (Friday December 27) to investigate this complaint.
“We will work with the management agents to resolve any issues, but where appropriate we will take any action necessary within our regulatory powers to maintain public safety.”