Broken door leaves residents scared of being trapped in Northampton block of flats during fire

Residents at a block of flats in Northampton fear being trapped inside if there was a fire in their building because the front door has been broken for months.

St John's Court residents have complained to Home Group, which manages the St John's Street block, about the faulty fire exit to no avail since July.

The housing association insisted the door, which is due to be fixed tomorrow (Thursday, October 1), is not a fire risk as people are supposed to 'stay put' in the event of a fire.

However, Emma Brown, who lives there with her husband, is worried about what would happen if there was a fire by the only working exit at the back of the building.

"There are quite a lot of people in this block and if there was a fire by the back door, everyone would rush to get out and we would be screwed," she told the Chronicle & Echo.

The front door was only installed in February as the old door was kicked in by homeless people who started living in the ground floor stairwell.

Mrs Brown, 37, said they left faeces, needles and urine in the common area so Home Group installed a metal door, which the resident described as like something from a prison.

But a few months later it seemed to have been jammed as the handle and lever did not work so residents in the eight flats were forced to use the back door instead.

The Browns and their neighbours have asked Home Group to fix the door multiple times but it remains broken.

"It's an ongoing problem and Home Group is not doing anything about it," Emma, an administrative assistant at St Andrew's Healthcare, said.

"You pay your rent and your bills but they're not forthcoming to do the jobs and look after their residents.

"It's gone beyond a joke now - I think it's disgusting to be quite honest."

Home Group head of maintenance, Louise Barkes, said the temporary door has been fixed several times over the past few months but it keeps being vandalised.

“We received another call last week to say it was jammed," she said.

"A maintenance contractor is due at St John’s Court early tomorrow morning to repair the door before it is replaced in the near future.

“There are no fire risks being caused by this issue, as it is not a fire door.

"Moreover, all the flats at St John’s Court have a ‘stay put’ policy in line with health and safety guidance.”

Ms Barkes added that they have worked hard to resolve historical issues with vandalism at St John’s Court and a new type of door will be installed after a success trial.