Arrest as tower block fire alarms go missing
The Green Party said Shaban Ali's candidacy in upcoming elections had been suspended
- Published
A safety campaigner at a tower block which was evacuated because of structural concerns has been arrested after part of a fire alarm system went missing.
More than 250 residents were told to leave the Barton House block in Bristol in November.
Shaban Ali, 37, was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods in February and has been released under police investigation. He hasn't responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Mr Ali was named in March as a Green Party candidate for the Eastville ward in the local council elections, but was replaced last week.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from Barton House in November
When announcing his candidature, the party described him as "a key advocate for the residents of Barton House at this difficult time".
Mr Ali used to be the lead Barton House campaigner for the community union Acorn.
The Green Party said Mr Ali's candidacy had been suspended.
The party then announced he was stepping down and was being replaced, but have not revealed what led to the change in candidates.
Fire patrols have been in place at Barton House
Bristol City Council declared a major incident during the tower block's evacuation.
Initial building surveys carried out on Barton House showed the tower block would be unsafe in the event of a fire or explosion, which prompted the evacuation.
Residents were being housed at the Holiday Inn, or staying with friends and family.
Several residents were concerned about returning to the building and there were several tense meetings involving housing officers and the community union Acorn, which said it was campaigning for residents' rights.
The council said all residents should return by 23 February after surveys revealed extra fire claddding and an updated alarm system had made the building safe.
A new smoke and heat sensor which has been installed in Barton House
As part of the work to make the building safe, Bristol City Council was installing an updated fire alarm system with combined smoke and heat sensors in the communal areas.
On the 1 February, contractors noticed that three of the sensors which had been installed were missing.
The wireless units contained trackers which were activated and found to be inside Barton House.
The alarms were recovered a few days later.
The city council say had they not found the alarms it would have delayed people’s return to the block by an additional two weeks.
'Campaigned for alarms'
This was because they would have had to wait whilst replacements were sourced, installed and tested.
They estimate that additional cost to taxpayers would’ve been over £409,000 which includes costs of hotel accommodation, cleaning services, food, security, laundry, serviced apartments, disturbance payments, waking watch at Barton House and taxis.
The BBC has tried repeatedly to contact Mr Ali but he has not responded our requests.
The community union Acorn says Mr Ali no longer has an elected role with them and is simply a member.
Their statement goes on to say: "Theft of fire alarms would be really bad (sic) because it would have made residents less safe.
"We campaigned for fire alarms as part of tower block fire safety, and we are proud to have won commitments from the council to fit fire alarms where they were missing."