🚨 **Oldham Drama: Building Collapse Sparks Probe and Controversy** 🚨
Oldham recently witnessed a dramatic building collapse on King Street, raising urgent questions. The scene? An avalanche of bricks and debris crashing down, injuring five and displacing over 40 due to a subsequent gas leak. The entire street is now sealed off for ongoing demolition works.
At the heart of this chaos is Sameer Zulqurnain and Kamran Ghafoor, a local councillor dubbed the ‘HMO King’ owning much of Oldham’s town centre through their firm, KKS Investors. Controversy isn’t new to Ghafoor, who has faced allegations of ‘slum lord’ tactics – which he vehemently denies. He attributes the collapse partly to recent stormy weather and insists his company has adhered strictly to safety regulations.
However, tensions simmer. Residents cite neglect and property deterioration, and past complaints against Ghafoor’s housing portfolio cast a long shadow. Since securing a council contract in 2020 to provide temporary accommodation, Ghafoor’s properties have sparked complaints, including a 2023 evacuation due to severe rain damage.
Adding fuel, locals have aired suspicions of council scapegoating, fuelling further debate around Ghafoor’s role and whether political divides within Oldham’s local government have influenced the narrative. Ghafoor himself suggests biased challenges against him might be politically motivated.
The collapse on King Street isn’t the first in the area, raising concerns about wider structural safety and maintenance oversight. An ongoing investigation by the Health and Safety Executive seeks to determine the exact cause and if any negligence occurred.
As rubble is cleared and investigations unravel, Oldham residents remain caught in uncertainty, grappling with the aftermath and pointing fingers. Only time will tell who, or what, bears the blame for this jarring incident.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story! 🏗️
#Oldham #PropertyCollapse #LocalNews #SafetyConcerns