A RESIDENT in a tower block fears for their safety after a bin was set on fire for the second time.

Fire crews were called to Barclay House in Wellington Road, Brighton, to tackle a fire in one of the communal wheelie bins on Thursday last week.

One resident of the high-rise building, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had heard a loud banging coming from the bin store on the ground floor.

He said: “When I went downstairs I saw one of the bins was on fire and one of the other residents was hauling it outside.

“The fire was much worse this second time. If we had not gone down there it could have been really bad.”

Fire crews had been called to the building 11 days previously to tackle another fire in a bin.

Brighton and Hove City Council said it had inspected the bin room and reassured residents the doors were secure but the resident said security still needed to be improved.

He said: “I could not believe it happened again, especially after what the council said before.

“There’s no CCTV anywhere in this building. If we had CCTV we would not have half the problems.

“We don’t feel safe here, and it’s horrible.”

East Sussex Fire and Rescue did not log the first fire as deliberate but the second incident was handed to Sussex Police.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We’re aware of concerns about security at Barclay House following two small fires that have happened there in recent weeks. We’re working closely with Sussex Police to address these concerns.

“We’ve checked and confirmed the doors to the bin area, the main entrance doors and the fire panel are all in good working order. Security checks of the building and patrols by police community safety officers have both been increased.

“We are keeping security measures for Barclay House under review and have assigned a member of our tenancy team to be a contact point for concerned residents.”

Sussex Police said: “Police were told that a plastic wheelie bin at Barclay House, Wellington Road, Brighton, had been set on fire and the cause was believed to be deliberate. No suspects could be found and there were no reports of any injuries.

“The incident has been logged as criminal damage.”