A resident living in temporary accommodation in Blackburn has spoken out over locked gates at the site.

Paul Lynch has been using the pods at Shadsworth and said the only exit has been padlocked ‘for a number of days’.

Blackburn with Darwen Council which manage the site, said the gate was only locked overnight to ‘protect residents’ but was open during the day.

The council also said security was on site 24 hours and they would be able to open the gate in case of emergency.

The self-contained pods and two diner cabins were set up in 2020 to keep the borough’s homeless off the streets in winter but the initiative was extended to operate all year round.

They are located in a car park next to Shadsworth Leisure Centre which closed on January 1, 2019. 

Paul said: “The residents feel locked in with their welfare not being catered for in an appropriate manner.

“There is only one entrance to the homeless complex.

“I have been in touch with the fire brigade on Tuesday morning and I was told they were coming out to inspect this issue.”

He said he had spoken to security at the site which can be accessed from Shadsworth Road and raised concerns over fire safety.

He added: “It was locked early in the morning after 8am and that is when I took the pictures.

“It was only when I spoke out this week that the padlock was taken off at other times.

"Later on Tuesday afternoon, the padlock was off."

Blackburn with Darwen Council said there was a padlock on the entry/exit gate, ‘however this was not locked during the day.’

The council said: “It is locked during the night in order to protect residents from intruders, but in the event of an emergency there is a security guard on site 24/7 who would be able to open the gate immediately.”