Hundreds of families turfed out of Bristol tower block are now back home nearly six months later - but say they still feel sceptical about the building's safety

Hundred of families who were turfed out of a Bristol Tower block, after the building was found to be structurally compromised, have now been returned to their homes, nearly six months later.

More than 400 residents living in Barton House on Cotton Mill Lane were forced to leave their flats as a 'precautionary measure' in November last year, after a survey found that there was a 'risk to the structure' of the 15-storey building in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact.

But residents are sceptical about the safety of the building, with some families planning escape routes in the event of a disaster that could lead to the building's collapse, and others complaining that they can't sleep due to the need to stay alert. 

One anxious resident, Wilfred Stewart, who told BBC News that he was 'terrified to stay in this building,' unconvinced that 'after you fix a few rooms, that it's safe.'

He added: 'It makes no sense coming here to sleep, I'm not going to sleep.

'I'm up like security, watching and listening. If you hear a sound, you're up. The other day an alarm was going off in one of the flats and everybody was on the balcony.'

Another resident, Yousif Ahmed, 36, who lives in the tower block with his wife and three young children, said that he still didn't feel 'fully safe' and was concerned that residents with children or big families, would find it 'really hard to escape' in disaster that promoted a speedy evacuation. 

He told the BBC that he was worried about needing an escape plan for his young family.

But, despite his fears, Mr Ahmed said that living in the block with uncertainty was still 'much better' than when the family were forced to live in a hotel, following the evacuation, with everyday activities such as shopping, going to school and going to work being more convenient from their Bristol home. 

On November 14 last year, residents were told to pack enough clothes for two days, and to organise stays with friends and family, or seek shelter at rest centres, during an emergency evacuation that saw families turfed out in the night.

Some residents were picked up by buses to take them to temporary accommodation with their belongings hurriedly packed in plastic bags and suitcases.

A local Jamaican restaurant turned community hub, called Cafe Conscious, scrambled to provide emergency supplies and warm spaces for families who found themselves with nowhere to go. 

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said recent surveys on Barton House were undertaken as work to assess 'potential future options' for the block given its age and method of construction.

'A survey of three out of 98 of the flats has indicated that the building may not have been built to the specification set out in its design,' he said.

'A number of issues have emerged that suggest the building's construction is sufficiently different to its blueprints that there is a material risk to the structure of the block in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact.

'This includes the apparent lack of structural ties between the floors and the load-bearing external walls.

'There is lower fire resistance of these structural elements and less concrete cover than set out in the original plans for the floors.

'Even if there was concrete cover as thick as set out in the original plans, this would still be less than would be used in a building built today.

Documents from 2018 state the tower block underwent structural surveys 'during and shortly after 1970', but that there were no records of any surveys since. 

The information was published in response to a Freedom of Information request, which confirmed the block of flats was one of five built with large panel system construction. 

Mr Rees added that there was no evidence of an immediate risk to life at the property at the time of the evacuation.

He confirmed that 57 hotel rooms were provided to families, with four people staying at the council's rest centre at City Hall.

Nine households refused to leave Barton House. Other residents stayed with friends and family.

MailOnline has approached Bristol City Council form comment.