Burglars ransack SIX homes left empty as arson attack leaves tenants homeless
Burglars have ransacked six council flats left empty after a devastating arson attack. Evacuated tenants discovered the break-ins after being allowed to return to their Meir homes to try to salvage any items.
But they discovered their belongings had been stolen from the Henderson Grove properties. Now the mother of one of the tenants has accused Stoke-on-Trent City Council of failing to properly secure the properties.
She said: "My son had waited all this time to be allowed into the building to see if anything was salvageable. He was allowed entry only to find the flats have been broken into and all the residents' belongings have been stolen. The flats should have been made secure by the council which they were but only the external windows were boarded up. All the internal doors were either unlocked or kicked through by the firemen so all the flats inside were not secured. Not only have the residents had to endure a life-threatening event from the fire making them homeless they now have no belongings that could have been retrieved."
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Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, and West Midlands Ambulance Service were called to the fire in the early hours of 11 September. The fire started in a communal bin store before spreading to the homes.
Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, said: “We utterly condemn the actions of the person who has used this opportunity to gain from other people’s misfortune. This is a distressing time for the residents affected by the fire and it is grossly unfair that they now have to deal with their personal possessions being stolen.
“We have been out to the site to ensure the building is secure and will be deploying CCTV in the area which can be shared with the police when required. We remain in touch with the affected residents and are offering them support and we will continue to liaise with our colleagues at Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service while their investigation is ongoing.”
Police are now investigating the burglaries - as well as the arson attack. They were alerted to the break-ins on Monday 30 September.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "We were advised by the local authority that their workers had attended a number of properties on Henderson Grove following the recent deliberate fire reported there. The council workers said they had discovered that boarding placed there following the fire, to secure the properties, had been removed and an untidy search had been carried out by unknown offenders. At least six properties are believed to have been targeted. Officers are currently investigating this as a suspected burglary and inquiries are underway."
The police spokesman added: "We also continue to appeal for anyone with information relating to the deliberate fire on 11 September to get in touch with us. We believe that the suspected arsonists travelled on foot along Brookwood Drive and then progressed onto MacDonald Crescent before using the alleyway on MacDonald Crescent to cut through to Leason Road. Anyone with CCTV footage of these areas between 3am and 4am on 11 September should contact us on 101 quoting incident number 63 of 11 September."
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