[T]wo men who were employed to guard the dangerous Central Plaza building on Victoria Viaduct have been sacked after scaling the scaffolding and filming themselves near the top of the unsafe former hotel.
In the video one of the security guards says; “I’ve been showing you the hotel for a long time and today I’ve finally come all the way upstairs, it looks scary folks, because it can fall down at any time.”
The video was posted on the social media website Facebook, but later removed after one concerned member of the public commented: “So if the building is so unsafe, then why is the appointed security company larking about on top of the building?
“If it’s so unsafe, why are they up there? Why are they being so unprofessional and making videos for Facebook likes?”
Cumbria Police have now been asked to look into the incident to see if any offences have been committed.
Richard Haycock, Managing Director, Ashcroft Demolition (Cumbria) Ltd, said: “As principal contractor, we ensure that all persons inducted on site are told that there is strictly no access to the scaffold at any times without instruction.
“An internal investigation has taken place to see how the two security guards got access to the building, this has been identified and additional security precautions have now been put in place to stop it happening again.
“As soon as I was made aware of the incident I contacted the sub contracted security firm and explained the severity of this situation. Both security staff were instantly dismissed due to their actions.
“We have also reported this issue to the police and are awaiting to see if any further action can be taken.”
