Council response to St Leonards incident

Hastings Borough Council staff helped more than 80 residents who were evacuated from their homes during the police-led incident in St Leonards at the end of last week and into the weekend.

Staff worked tirelessly with colleagues from the emergency services and other partners on the emergency response. Council staff set up a rest centre at the Royal Victoria Hotel for anyone who needed somewhere safe to go when residents had to leave their homes at very short notice on Thursday evening.  Residents who were unable to return home and had nowhere else to go were accommodated overnight and the rest centre continued to support them with food and refreshments and a place to stay until Saturday evening.

Cllr Julia Hilton, leader of the council, said: “I want to thank all the council staff and emergency services who have worked so hard to bring this incident to a safe conclusion. Making sure that all the residents evacuated had somewhere safe to sleep and to be while they could not be at home was a vital part of the incident response. It is great to see how well different services work together in trying circumstances, with the safety of our residents at the heart of what we do.

“I was very disappointed for the event organisers and runners that the essential work to ensure public safety meant the cancellation of the much-loved Hastings Half Marathon. We will, of course, be happy to work with the organisers if they want to look at rearranging the event.”

The council works as part of the Sussex Resilience Forum on responding to incidents and major emergencies, alongside the emergency services, utilities and other essential public and voluntary services.