A number of flats in Liverpool have been evacuated over serious fire safety concerns, according to a report by ITV.

The council say that a large semi-detached house in the city was closed as a matter of urgency after a visit by the Landlord Licensing team.

They found smoke detectors not working, problems with fire doors and a dangerous electricity meter.

The team say they discovered that the automatic fire detection providing protection to the common areas of the six flats property was defective and completely disconnected from the electrical supply.

The report claims the fire detection in some individual flats was not working, further increasing the risk in the property as a large blaze could have developed in an individual flat behind closed doors without being detected.

Defects with the fire doors would have meant that there was a risk that smoke and flames may block the escape route.

Councillor Frank Hont said: “This house was a potential death trap and was putting tenants at serious risk of injury, or even death. We used our powers under Landlord Licensing to inspect it and secured a closure order.

“We are determined to drive up the standard of private rented accommodation in this city and will not hesitate to take action when we find landlords putting their tenants at risk.”

The landlord will be instructed to carry out remediation work.

Original source

ITV