Firm attempts to demolish two tower blocks three times - and half of one is still standing

Residents in a Merseyside town have been forced to evacuate after a firm failed to demolish two towers despite three attempts.

The two towers, owned by One Vision Housing, were due to be demolished simultaneously at 10:30am on Sunday morning in Seaforth, near Liverpool, but both remained standing after the blast

A second attempt managed to make one of the towers crumble at 1pm, but nearby residents were forced to spend a night in a hotel for their own safety after the other still failed to fall.

One local resident told the Liverpool Echo: “We have been waiting around all day. It’s ridiculous. None of us came prepared because we were told it would be over by 12.30pm. And our kids will probably have to stay off school tomorrow.

“I’ve got my disabled daughter sitting in the car, not well at all, not been told nothing.

“My daughter’s medication is in the house and she’s just been sitting in the car since 8.45 this morning. My wallet’s in the house and my dog is in the house. It’s just incompetent.”

A third attempt on Monday afternoon led to the remaining tower - Montgomery House - half crumbling with the rubble landing in a neighbour’s garden.

Andy Heaton, whose home was in the exclusion zone, told the Echo he had stayed with his in-laws the previous night but needed to get back to his home to collect his passport to travel to Spain.

The sports journalist said: “I have had better days. I was just watching a video of the tower collapsing and saw it fall into my back garden.

“When you consider the size of the building, and if the rest of the tower comes down, I am genuinely worried about my house getting done in”.

One Vision Housing has said it will pay for the repair of Mr Heaton’s garden wall which was flattened by the falling rubble.

In a statement they said the demolition company, J Byran (Victoria) Ltd, would carry out the demolition in phases.

It said: “The most recent update from the appointed demolition contractor, J. Bryan (Victoria) Ltd, is that they are planning to carry out a phased demolition of the remaining structure of Montgomery House.

“One Vision Housing is doing everything it can to ensure that those residents affected by the ongoing exclusion zone (circa 70 properties) are being made as comfortable as possible with hotel accommodation, food, drink and other provisions. One Vision Housing staff continue to be in attendance at the hotels to ensure that those residents have the relevant support and access to information.”