Barton House: Relief and frustration as residents return home after 'nightmare' three months
Watch Max Walsh's report here.
Residents of Barton House in Bristol have described their relief and frustration as they returned home, three months after they were forced to leave due to safety concerns.
More than 400 people - including around 100 children - were told to pack a bag of clothes and leave their home on Barton Hill on the evening of Tuesday 14 November.
Following an initial survey, it was feared that structural issues could put the building at risk of collapse in the event of a fire.
Due to this, 250 people moved into hotels or with family and friends to allow additional surveys and construction work to be completed at the 14-storey tower block.
The fire service, engineers, and council say the building is now safe for residents to return.
Resident Jon Wisbey moved back from the Holiday Inn on Thursday and said he was relieved to be back after a 'nightmare' three months.
He said: "It's just relief. I'm really relieved to be back, staying in the hotel was a nightmare. Everyone is stressed to the max. I feel really sorry for the people who are reluctant to come back or refusing to come back because they are going through hell. But personally, I'm glad to be home."
It's thought up to 20 households may refuse to move back to Barton House after the trauma and upheaval they have experienced.
Resident Fadumo Farah said: "We will be staying in the hotel until we figure out what to do next. I want the council to give us another option."
But Bristol City Council says it will stop paying for residents' hotels on Friday, having spent more than five million pounds on the evacuation and subsequent construction work.
Over the last three months, a new fire alarm system has been installed and additional fireproofing fitted. Intrusive checks have also been made to ensure structural steel rods are in the correct place.
The evacuation was triggered when an existing survey was peer-reviewed by engineers who feared the building could be at risk of collapse if there was a single flat fire.
But more intrusive surveys found the structure was, in fact, safe. Although experts agreed fire safety work was required before residents could move back home.
Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet member for Housing, Services and Energy, said: "We just had to act and then the more intrusive survey showed the building could be made safe and that's what we did. Now the fire brigade and our engineers are happy that it is safe.
"We would not wish this evacuation on anyone. But we did our best to provide alternative accommodation, payments, and mental health support. Anything other than being in people's homes is inferior - but we had to act with the information we had."
But tensions are still running high between some residents and the council - who say they want somewhere alternative to live after the ordeal they have experienced.