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Crammed West Lothian stairwells a serious fire risk for residents

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date14 June 2022
Publication titleEdinburghLive (Scotland)
Canvassing during the recent elections Bathgate SNP Councillor Willie Boyle said he was "shocked and appalled" at the state of some common stairs in blocks of flats

"Some of it was mild, with a wee plant on a plant stand," he said. "In others there were bags of rubbish, and bikes chained to railings. I was shocked at how bad it was. Some of the worst I have seen was in Whitburn, but I'm not singling out Whitburn. It was all over."

"I was appalled at the lack of understanding by the public living in flats regarding the detritus that's stored on landings and stairways that's potentially blocking fire exits."

How would people escape from a smoke filled stairwell with these hazards blocking their way, he wondered.

"It's in the event of a fire, you get a stairwell full of smoke. You don't see all that obstacle as you're feeling your way about to find the safe exit that's maybe a window three stories up," he added.

Local fire station commander Roy Bradley told the meeting that before the formation of the fire service into one body the former Lothian and Borders Brigade did have the power to police and enforce tidy stairwells in blocks of flats. Scottish Fire and Rescue no longer has the power of enforcement.

He added: "Home fire safety visits are fully up and running again. If we identify combustibles in common stairwells we will pass that on to the housing department to...

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