Hundreds of Gateshead Council flats found with faulty front door locks

700 council flat front doors have been found to have a faulty locks, all of which are scheduled to be repaired by March.
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Hundreds of front doors in Gateshead Council flats have been found to have a faulty locking mechanism.

According to a Gateshead Council, building safety and compliance report, 700 flats belonging to the authority have a faulty front door lock. Repairs and or replacements are scheduled to be completed in March this year.

The issue had been reported to Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) and, according to council documents, "is considered a negligible risk." The report comes as the local authority is required to prepare a building safety case and apply for a building assessment certificate, as required in the Building Safety Act 2022.

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The Act was introduced to enhance safety of high rise building design, construction and management of high-rise buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

In addition, repair plans for "inadequate" fire door smoke seals to 1,390 front doors have also been agreed with TWFRS. The first 700 will be completed at the same time as the locking mechanism repairs and the remainder later in the year.

The fire service considered four fires in properties affected by these issues when agreeing to the repair plans. The report states: "In all cases there was no spread of smoke from the fires".

A council report from January 2024 also revealed that the local authority is forking out £20,00 a month to replace broken fire doors, vandalised by tenants. This is an average of 15 doors a month, councillors were also informed by Ian McLackland, service director of repairs and building maintenance there was "little likelihood" of the local authority recouping the cash.