Residents of a council-owned residential block in Brighton have raised concerns over the activities of waking watch wardens employed to ensure fire safety
As reported by The Argus, the Viscaria block, along with nine other residential blocks in Donald Hall Road, had been the subject of an Enforcement Notice from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) in April 2025 after a number of failures under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 were identified. These included a lack of smoke protection of escape routes and inadequate fire doors.
As a result of this Enforcement Notice, Brighton and Hove Council declared a critical incident and changed the evacuation advice from stay put to immediate evacuation. As part of the changes to enhance fire safety, a 24/7 waking watch was put in place across Viscaria and eight further blocks on the estate.
However, reports have since emerged from residents that wardens working to provide safety in the Viscaria block have been “causing more fire safety issues”, wedging fire doors open and hanging an extension cord from the floor above to provide power for phone chargers and a portable heater. Other residents described the actions of the wardens as “unprofessional” and claimed “they just do what they like”.
Initially planned to be a temporary measure, with residents told in March that the waking watch would last just 8 weeks, they have since said there has been “no communication” from the council.
Councillor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing at Brighton and Hove City Council, said in a statement that:
“The safety of our residents is our absolute priority and the fire wardens are in place as a temporary measure while we complete essential fire safety improvements, including installing a modern fire safety alarm.
“The behaviour described by residents, however, is not acceptable and does not meet the standards we demand. We were aware of these issues before being contacted by The Argus and had made residents aware they were being investigated.
“We have raised these issues formally with the contractors responsible for wardens and made clear we expect immediate action to ensure more professional conduct and safe working practices.
“We do also appreciate residents’ frustration at the length of time this arrangement has been in place and are grateful for their ongoing patience.
“Our waking watch was meant to be a short-term arrangement, but the complexity of the work has meant it has taken longer than originally expected. We will be contacting residents directly to update them further shortly.”
Social housing provision by Brighton and Hove Council had previously come under criticism by the Regulator of Social Housing, with a 2024 report identifying “serious failings” which required “significant improvement”.