London window death: Pane fell from same flat a year before

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45743188

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Two workmen were almost hit by a window that fell 27 floors from a penthouse a year before a pane fell from the same apartment and killed a man, the BBC understands.

Mick Ferris, 53, was fatally injured outside the luxury Corniche apartments on Albert Embankment on Tuesday.

Property developers said a window also fell from the upper floor when the block was being built in 2017.

Residents have been told to keep windows shut as a probe continues.

Mr Ferris, a coach driver and keen West Ham United supporter from Hoo, Kent, was pronounced dead by emergency crews at the scene on Tuesday.

A spokesman for developers St James, which is part of Berkeley Group, said the Corniche building was redesigned after the initial accident in August last year.

"A casement window fell from the upper floor," he said. "No-one was hurt.

"There was a full investigation instigated by St James after which the design was amended in accordance with the expert advice received."

The BBC has learned that the window in the 2017 incident fell from the same top-floor apartment as the one that hit Mr Ferris.

St James said windows elsewhere in the tower do not pose any risk to safety.

However, as a precaution, all residents have been asked to keep windows and doors to balconies or terraces closed until an investigation is completed.

The newly-built Corniche block is made up of two, three, and four-bedroom apartments priced between £2.7m and £6.25m.

It was designed by Foster + Partners, the same company responsible for the Gherkin.

The St James spokesman said the firm is helping police and the Health and Safety Executive with their inquiries, as well as carrying out its own investigation.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr Ferris' family at this incredibly difficult time," he said.

Mr Ferris's son Daniel described his father as a "lifelong idol" who was "always in my heart and mind".