RESIDENTS of Brisbane House in Tilbury are still waiting to find out when they will be able to return to their homes after being evacuated on Wednesday when a water tank pipe burst, cascading through the building's 15 floors. 

Some are staying with friends and relatives, while others have been put up by the council   In hotels.

The council is assessing the damage following the flood late yesterday led to flooding throughout the block, meaning that residents are now either in temporary accommodation provided by the council or staying with friends or family.

Residents who have been housed in temporary accommodation have had their stay confirmed until early next week.

The leak means that residents are not able to access their homes, although the council is arranging to escort residents who need to collect urgent items such as medication.

The council has set up a dedicated reception and information centre at Tilbury Library and Community to assist residents and offer advice and support. 

As part of its support to Brisbane House residents, the council has reached out to organisations such as local housing associations, and the RSPCA for residents who have pets, and security has been put in place to keep the location secure.

Cllr Mark Hurrell, cabinet member for social housing said: "On behalf of the council, I want to apologise to residents of Brisbane House for the significant disruption they are facing while the council deals with this incident. 

"Time is needed to assess the extent of any damage and to enable us to confirm when the building will be safe for them to return to.

"We're doing our best to make sure we have proactively contacted all residents – we have door-knocked on all flats, made calls and sent text messages to make sure that everyone is safe – and we can confirm that is the case.

"Our priority now is to support residents who have been displaced temporarily by what I appreciate must have been a shocking and scary experience. We have worked to get information and advice to those who need it in a way which responds to their needs. 

"We'll continue to build on that as we grip the situation further and move to confirming as to when residents can expect to be able to access their homes again. 

"If any residents are especially concerned about the future standard of their home, I encourage early engagement with our Housing team. We will provide further updates as soon as we can.

"In the meantime, I want to thank everyone involved in managing this urgent situation – including residents who have been patient and co-operative, our officer team who have worked overnight to keep people safe and our local partners and Tilbury Library and Community Hub for providing the space to set up our resident information centre."