Tower block in Bow left without emergency exit for three days

Residents in a tower block in Bow were left without an emergency exit for at least three days, a councillor has claimed.

Tenants at the 20-storey Sandall House, in Daling Way, had tried multiple times to get the building’s sole fire escape door fixed after reporting it broken on Saturday.

The safety risk left tenants in 82 flats with only the main entrance as an emergency escape, said Cllr Joshua Peck.

The fire door was still “total unusable” during his visit two days later, he said, calling it “a criminal risk to residents” on Twitter.

But housing association Circle Housing say the door was fixed this morning after a contractor visited “late last night” – just after Cllr Peck’s visit.

“We have taken this matter very seriously and are investigating the process that was followed when the faulty door was reported to us,” a spokeswoman said.

“Residents’ safety is our absolute top priority.”