Oldham councillor Kamran Ghafoor issues statement on King Street building collapse

A building collapse on King Street in Oldham town centre has left two people in hospital and the area cordoned off as emergency services investigate what went wrong. The incident happened around 12:40pm on Tuesday when part of the structure at 31 King Street gave way, sending debris onto the street below.

Councillor Kamran Ghafoor, who represents Hollinwood ward and is a director of the company that owns the building, has confirmed the property was undergoing structural repairs at the time. He says preliminary works were being carried out to address concerns about an exposed side wall that had been left vulnerable since a neighbouring building was demolished years ago.

Emergency services including police, fire crews, ambulance teams, and Cadent Gas engineers rushed to the scene where five people were treated for injuries. Two were taken to hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening. The air ambulance was also deployed as a precaution.

Ghafoor says a qualified structural engineer had been appointed, building regulations notice submitted, and professional contractors engaged for the work. He's now calling for a thorough investigation, saying 'it is important that the investigation is allowed to take its course' before drawing conclusions about what caused the collapse.