Southend tower block benefits from £3m fire safety improvements
The residents of a tower block in Southend-on-Sea in Essex are to benefit from a total of £3 million in fire safety improvements at the building.
The ten-storey Bewley Court building, which is occupied by council tenants, has been fitted with state-of-the-art fire prevention systems. The aim of the project, which was carried out on behalf of Southend Council, is to protect residents from vandals, arsonists and other yobs who have lit rubbish fires in communal areas (i.e. bin rooms and waste areas) of other tower blocks in the area.
The improvements, which have been made by South Essex Homes, include fire-resistant entrance doors, automatic sprinklers in waste areas and bin rooms and fire-resistant paint. Residents have had fire-resistant doors installed in their individual apartments, and they are also undergoing some fire safety awareness training so that they can play their part in preventing the outbreak of fire.
The council spent a total of £272,000 on improving fire safety standards at Bewley Court, and it hopes to go on to make tower blocks in Southend-on-Sea some of the safest in the UK.