Four-storey block of flats evacuated after fears of subsidence

A BLOCK of flats in Glasgow’s East End was evacuated and a long stretch of road closed after reports that the building was subsiding.

The four-storey tenement block of eight flats and a shop on the normally busy London Road, close to Bridgeton station, were emptied and council contractors and police called to the scene yesterday afternoon.

A council spokeswoman said “movement” had been reported in the building around midday and all residents were evacuated as a precaution.

The road was shut between Abercromby Street and Bridgeton Cross throughout the day and into the evening while the building was investigated, and building contractors worked to make the property safe.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “An unsafe building has sparked the evacuation of eight flats and a shop in Glasgow’s East End.

“The unsafe property at 594 London Road, Glasgow, is a four-storey tenement and the concerns centre around movement in the building. It is feared that the top floor flat may be unstable.” She said the road would remain closed while engineers inspected the property and assessed the level of risk.

Three residents who were said to have contacted the council’s social work department in need of emergency accommodation were housed in the Hamish Allen Centre, a homeless shelter in the South Side of the city.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said they had been made aware of the incident but are not in attendance.

ScotRail said services at Bridgton were being disrupted by the unsafe building.