A house in multiple occupation has been closed and its residents moved to alternative accommodation by Worcester City Council, who served the city’s first Emergency Prohibition Order (EPO) on the owner of the house on Friday 7 September.

The Council took the action because there are currently no management arrangements in place, as the owner is in bad health and the existing means of detecting fire and protecting the resident’ escape route is inadequate. This gives rise to a category one hazard, under the new Housing Act 2004.

The Order immediately prohibited occupation of the house, which cannot be used as a house in multiple occupation until fire precaution works have been completed and management arrangements put in place. The 13 residents were placed in temporary accommodation over the weekend, and the Council’s Housing Advice Team are working to find all of them places to live until the house has been made safe.

demolition of the dwelling, and it is the prohibition of use notice that has been invoked for the first time since the new HHSRS came into being.

Councillor Francis Lankester , Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “There was an immediate risk to the health and safety of residents of this property, so we were obliged to take this action. The Council is responsible for rehousing the occupants until a longer term solution can be found.”