Workers in the City of London have spoken of their fears after two steel bolts fell from the Cheesegrater, prompting emergency safety checks on the 47 storey office tower.
The area around the base of the Leadenhall Building is cordoned off this morning while contractor Laing O’Rourke and structural engineers Arup carry out an investigation.
A statement from the skyscraper’s joint owners British Land says that no-one was injured in the incident and there is no risk to the structural integrity of the building. The Building Control Department has been notified.
One of the bolts, which some sources describe as being the size of a human arm, became dislodged from the fifth floor megaframe and crashed to the ground at the side of the building.
City workers have expressed their horror, with one insurance company employee saying that someone could easily have died in the incident. Another questioned whether there was something seriously wrong with the building.
The chief executive of British Land, Chris Grigg, says the incident is a ‘shock to all concerned’ but reiterates that there is no risk to the structure and stresses that the building remains open.
He says that, inevitably, there have been some inaccuracies and speculation in media coverage of the story, and that the company will provide an update as soon as the outcome of the investigation is known.
The £268 million Leadenhall Building is the tallest skyscraper in the City of London and was developed by British Land and Oxford Properties.
