A SPECIALIST has been called in to help with the rebuild of a block of flats.
Longcross Court in Middlewich was struck by an Asda delivery van at the start of the month, forcing residents to evacuate and causing structural damage to the property.
Now, the housing association that owns the property, Regenda Homes, has provided an update.
A spokesperson said: “We have engaged a structural engineer to investigate various options for repairing and rebuilding the property at Longcross Court.
“We are also investigating how we can safely re-open the car park.
“Any considerations will need to be confirmed by the local authority’s Building Control processes and all options will be shared with our customers before they are agreed.”
Emergency services were called to Longcross Court off Lewin Street on February 1.
Upon arrival, crews found an Asda delivery van had got stuck in the entrance underpass.
The building was badly damaged and one person was assessed for injuries at the scene by North West Ambulance Service staff, but did not need to be taken to hospital.
Residents of seven of the flats spent the weekend at a hotel, with all but one able to return home by February 5.
The Asda van was removed, with supports put in place to ensure the building was safe,
A spokesperson for the supermarket said: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our vehicles in Middlewich and are in contact with the housing association affected by the accident to understand how we can best support their residents.
“We would like to apologise for any distress this may have caused."
This is the second time such an incident has occurred at Longcross Court.
In May 2015, an ambulance got stuck in the underpass, again causing structural damage to the property.
A neighbouring resident said at the time that it had been 'an accident waiting to happen'.
However, when asked if they would be looking to improve signage to stop such an incident from happening again, Regenda Homes suggested the current provisions were enough.
A spokesperson said: “The visible signage on the entrance to the building clearly states the height restrictions for vehicles.”
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