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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Liam Thorp & Chiara Fiorillo

Young mum and toddler will 'have to leave home' if huge bonfire nearby is not removed

A young mum said she will have to leave her home tomorrow if a huge bonfire is not removed from nearby land.

Gold Onwuka, 24, lives in Rickman Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool, with her two-year-old son Royal.

Their house was damaged by a bonfire last year and she became worried when another one was built this year, the Liverpool ECHO reports.

She said: "I should feel safe for me and my son in my home. I'm very worried. It is already big and will only get bigger."

Following the woman's concerns and the ECHO's article, Liverpool City Council travelled to the area and removed the bonfire.

The huge pile of wood and other waste was put together on land near Rickman Street in Kirkdale, Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)

However, shortly after people began to build it again, making the mum even more worried.

A new pile now occupies the land and Gold's landlord Glenn McDowall has written to the council to warn of the dangers posed to the tenant and her child if the bonfire is allowed to be lit tomorrow night.

He said: "It is a sorry state of affairs that Ms Gold Onwuka must take her two year-old-son to a place of safety, as she fears for her life tomorrow night.

"I might also mention the threat to my own property, but this is secondary to the threat to life.

"The attached photo was taken yesterday and shows a new 'mountain' of flammable material, which needs to be removed today."

The worried mum had told him: "I just want to let you know the bonfire is probably still going to go on because they have started building it again.

"I will have to leave the house because I really don't feel safe in the house."

Speaking about the fire last year, Gold, who is currently doing a post-graduate course in teaching, told the Liverpool ECHO: "It was scary, I had to get my son out of his bedroom because it was closest to the big fire.

"He was only one-year-old at the time. The fire damaged a window in the house and burnt the frame."

The mum said they will have to leave the house if the bonfire is not removed (Liverpool Echo)

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson told The Mirror: "We completely appreciate and understand the concerns of the resident and are aware of the materials on this patch of land.

"Unsupervised bonfires pose a real danger and we would strongly advise people against building them.

"Every year we work with our partners and will take action where we have been made aware of a bonfire that could pose a risk."

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