Raynville Court: Fury as Leeds high-rise council flats residents without electricity for 17 hours as six floors flooded

Electricity cut off from a large number of flats at 10-storey Raynville Court in Bramley at about 7pm last night (Monday), after a water leak on the sixth floor that spread to flats below. A plumber stopped the leak at around 7.30pm but electricity wasn’t returned until after midday today (Tuesday).

David Towsey said he tried to call the property manager three times but claimed his calls were rejected. He said: “It was after their working time but we need to have someone on-hand to contact in an emergency.”

Mr Towsey said that he found water leaking in his living room and in the electricity meter cupboard at about 6pm. "I opened the door and it was pouring down”, he said. “All of the fuse box was wet.”

He said he then called the council’s out of hours team and the fire service, who came within 30 minutes.

Mr Towsey said that a plumber arrived “between 7.30pm and quarter to” and was able to stop the leak before an electrician from the council and Northern Powergrid arrived after to switch off and assess the electricity.

The electricians returned on Tuesday morning and worked through the day to restore power to each flat one-by-one.

He said: "It was alright for me because I’m on my own but there are families with children in the block.

"What I’m saying is there needs to be some sort of contact in an emergency. If you call the out of hours you could be waiting on the phone for 10 minutes while water’s pouring in your flat. It’s not right.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “Leeds City Council officers have been working alongside Northern Powergrid to reinstate power to a number of flats at Raynville Court in Bramley following a water leak which occurred at a flat in the block on Monday night.

"Power to all flats has now been reinstated and staff have been liaising with residents to ensure they received any necessary support. The council offers an emergency freephone number of 0800 188 4000 for reporting emergency situations at any time which all council tenants can use.”