Eldon Court Leeds: Everything we know so far as 300 students evacuated over 'risk to life' fears

Hundreds of students were immediately evacuated from student accommodation block Eldon Court on Tuesday evening after fire services found a serious “risk to life”. Here is what we know so far about the evacuation.

Why was Eldon Court evacuated?

A prohibition notice was issued for Eldon Court following a West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) investigation – which found serious fire risks in the privately-owned block. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Dave Walton, said: “We were called in after a survey of the building revealed several potential fire risks. The risks were so serious that it would have been dangerous to allow people to continue to stay in the building once these were identified.”

Where did the students in Eldon Court get moved to?

Up to 300 students were told to immediately leave their homes and were found emergency accommodation in other student halls. A spokesperson for the University of Leeds said: “Our residence teams worked together throughout the night to make sure all students were settled in university accommodation. The safety and wellbeing our of our students remains our top priority, and we will ensure they continue to have access to secure and safe accommodation for as long as required.”

Which university are the students at Eldon Court from?

Eldon Court is managed independently. 69 University of Leeds students and 12 Leeds Beckett University students lived there until it was evacuated.