Fire evacuated children housed too far from school

A family who were evacuated after a fire at their apartment building say they won't be able to take their children to school.

Nabeel Ahmad and his family lived on the seventh floor of the Mosaic Apartments in High Street, Slough when it caught fire after midnight on Thursday 22 August.

He used to walk 18 minutes to take his children to school but said their temporary accommodation is now one hour and 24 minutes away, making the journey impossible.

Slough Borough Council it is "sorry to hear of the difficulties Mr Ahmad and his family are experiencing".

Mr Ahmad explained that their temporary accommodation, in Langley, is too far from the children's schools in Slough.

He added: "On 5 September they are due back in school, I've already told the school my children won't be able to attend."

His wife is six months pregnant and "can't do the distance, three to four miles on public transport".

He is unable to taken the children to school due to work.

Mr Ahmad added that they are are further away from the family doctor, which is "concerning" and they "can't really afford public transport".

"I've told this whole situation to the housing department and children services but was told we must make do with public transport."

On the night of the fire, Mr Ahmad recalled getting ready for bed when somebody came "banging on our door telling us to get out" as the building was on fire.

Once they were evacuated he said "all we could do is stand and watch"

He said: "I have lost everything and especially my children they were watching the live fire and crying as well, they have lost everything."

"As I saw the fire, I was thinking all our belongings are gone," he added.

A spokesperson from Slough Borough Council said it is "sorry to hear of the difficulties Mr Ahmad and his family are experiencing as a consequence of a fire at their previous accommodation".

The authority added: "Whilst the council would have hoped to provide Mr Ahmad with accommodation closer to his previous home, the limited available supply prevented this.

"Unfortunately, the damage sustained to Mr Ahmad previous accommodation was considerable and it is not known when the property will be available to reoccupy."

"In the meantime, the Council’s Temporary Accommodation Welfare Officer will work with Mr Ahmad to ensure that his needs are met."

On Tuesday Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) said it is investigating whether Grenfell-style flammable cladding aided the spread of the fire.

It has been confirmed that flammable ACM cladding was fitted to parts of the top two floors.

An RBFRS spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it is "a complex investigation, which we estimate that it may take several weeks to complete".

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