Brighton council: 'Do not go on balconies' after collapse

Safety checks will need to be completed before balconies can be used again after a catastrophic fall at the Prince of Wales Court in Hove.

A car was crushed as the first and second-floor balconies plummeted to the ground on Saturday, December 9, in what "sounded like a truck crash" to nearby residents.

The incident happened at the seafront block of flats on Saturday (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Following the incident, the freeholder of the property has appointed a structural engineer to assess the remaining balconies in the building to provide a report.

Councillor Liz Loughran, chairwoman of the council’s planning committee, said: “We’re very sorry to hear of this collapsed balcony but are very pleased no one was hurt or injured."

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene.

The notice pinned to the door (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Firefighters placed notices on the front doors of each flat reading “Do not go on to balcony! Deemed unsafe due to two balcony collapses.”

Usha Patel, who has lived in the block for over 20 years, was shocked to discover her silver Nissan Juke trapped under the rubble.

Usha Patel (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

She said: "I opened my balcony door to find out what was going on and there were two people shouting at me to get back in.

"I went downstairs and found it had fallen onto my car. The car next to mine doesn't have a scratch or anything. I can manage though, it is what it is.”

Usha's car under the rubble (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

The incident also interrupted upstairs neighbour Jenny Burrow's Christmas celebrations. She said the walls of her flat shook from a “huge rumble” coming from below.

The council has told residents living in the 1980s block - once home to Only Fools and Horses scriptwriter John Sullivan OBE - to stay off their balconies until they have been checked for safety.

Prince of Wales Court (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Cllr Loughran added: “We have also advised all the residents in the block not to access their balconies until they have been checked for safety.

“The area below the collapse, including the fallen balconies and section of the car park, will remain cordoned off with robust steel fencing and hoarding until the overhead structures have been deemed safe."