RESIDENTS living directly opposite the “abandoned” Heathrow substation which caught fire say they were let down by authorities during the chaos.
The blaze at the electrical substation cancelled well over a thousand flights, left scores of homes without power and disrupted countless lives.
Heathrow Airport was closed after a blaze at a substation nearbyThe Sun
Panicked residents were evacuated from their homes during the chaosThe Sun
But locals have complained about how the council handled the situationThe Sun
Heathrow Airport was shuttered for 15 hours with the chaotic fallout of the fire still leaving those around the transport hub reeling.
Residents were forced from their homes as thousands of properties were left without power.
Now, disgruntled locals say that that claims by the council that people were housed in hotels and nearby libraries are not true as far as they are aware.
Katrina Clements, 72, who has lived on the road for decades, said they were left stranded in an Asda car park.
She told The Sun: “There was a complete lack of communication. We were woken up to knocking on the door, and from then on it was chaos.
“We waited out on the street for an hour or more and no one from the council came.
“Someone told us to go to the Asda car park at about 2am because someone would be there, but we got there and there was no one.”
Katrina continued: “So we decided to walk to the Premier Inn – they were lovely, they were the only helpful people all night.
“There was just a complete lack of communication. Then we heard yesterday morning on the news that the council had housed 150 people in a library, but what people?
“We live on the street right next to it and they didn’t tell us to go to the library.”
Her husband Peter Clements, 81, added: “The only thing we did get told was to go to the local theatre, but that was at three in the morning.
“The police couldn’t tell us anything, and the firefighters were busy, and the council were useless.”
Their neighbour Savita Kaye, 51, shared these feelings. The fashion event organiser said: “No one told us anything, there was no communication.
“The emergency services were amazing, they were busy fighting the fire and keeping people safe, but there needed to be a liaison officer or something.
“You’ll find this funny, I heard about the Heathrow part of the story from my cousin in Alaska.
“He messaged me and said ‘heard about the fire’ and I thought a family member had told him but no, he said the news had gone international!
“I had literally no idea it was connected to the airport, I am scratching my head about how that works.
“They told us that no only had the bit that powered that been burnt, the back up had also been destroyed in the fire.
“If this power station is so important, why was the back up so close to the original? I just don’t get it.”
UKNIPHeathrow Airport was closed after an inferno at a substation in Hayes[/caption]
w8mediaTravellers were left in limbo as the airport closed[/caption]
AFPFirefighters douse the flames[/caption]
CCTV footage taken from homes nearby shows the substation going up in a blazing inferno as shocked residents watched on.
But Manpreet Layal, 36, who has lived on the now world famous road for 20 years said locals have “hardly seen people who work in the power station”.
She said: “We thought it wasn’t even working until what happened on Thursday night.
“I thought it was just there for bits and bobs, because we never see people working in there.
“They have a gate on the other side but I’ve never seen any security guards there and signs saying to watch out, power station, but nothing much.”
Her son, Jagraj, 15, added: “I got a video, the flames were like a tornado.”
Meanwhile, other residents revealed they have never seen security people guarding the crucial infrastructure.
A worker at a local business, who did not wish to be named, said: “We have security, lots of places around here do, but I have never seen anyone at the substation.”
Ramandeep Singh, 38, who lives just a short walk from the electrical site said: “I don’t see anyone in high-vis, the door is closed, but no one is ever in there.
His wife, Ravi Kaur, 35, added: “It makes you conscious because we have just had a baby and they say there is all this oil near the fire.”
The young mum had just got up to feed her baby when the inferno took hold, and was forced to feed the tot cold milk.
HEATHROW CHAOS
So far the family have not been told when the fire, which still had white smoke billowing from it on Saturday morning, will be extinguished.
Ravi said: “It’s scary, having this happen, it makes you worried about our safety.
“Someone told me the smoke is bad for you, toxic, and I am worried my son will be hurt.
“My mum came from India yesterday, but she came to Gatwick. But other friends haven’t been able to get back to their home country.”
Robert Sima, 31, who lives near where the blaze happened, was at work in a bar at a Heathrow hotel when it broke out.
The West Londoner, who has lived near the substation for 10 years, added: “There is no security, nothing, there’s never anyone there that I have seen. It’s locked and stuff but there isn’t any security.
“There’s lots of security around here for the warehouses and stuff, but literally nothing for there.
“I don’t understand how the hotel I work in didn’t lose power when the airport did, it doesn’t make sense.”
Hillingdon Council has been contacted for comment.
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