Two more Canning Town blocks are evacuated over 'imminent risk to life' as residents are told to foot hotel bills

A crack in a concrete transfer slab beneath five Canning Town tower blocks has forced the evacuation of hundreds of households, with Thanet Tower and Prince Court joining Sovereign Tower, Centurion Tower and St Vincent Court — the first three cleared on 22 October. Property management firm Prime Property Management has told displaced residents they must cover their own hotel costs upfront, with reimbursement from third parties promised only "in time".

Newham Council has served dangerous structural notices on all five buildings and is running a rest centre at Beckton Community Centre.

Residents cannot return until further notice, and structural engineers are still assessing the full extent of the risk to the transfer slab.

Prime Property Management told residents hotel costs should be "as close to the equivalent daily rate of your rent" — offering little comfort to those with nowhere free to stay.