There are fears that people living in a block of luxury flats would ignore a fire alarm if a real blaze started after a glitch resulted in it going off daily for hours at a time.

Neighbours in St Annes Quarter in King Street say that since a new alarm system was installed by the firm managing the site, Orbit Housing Group, in October they have had to endure it going off constantly.

St Anne's Quarter is a newly completed development next to the Riverside areaSt Anne's Quarter is a newly completed development next to the Riverside area (Image: Denise Bradley)

Francesco Ghiselli, who lives in Bartholemew Court in St Annes Quarter, said: "In October, Orbit installed a new fire alarm system to replace an already faulty one, seemingly using a contractor.

"Since then, the alarm has been triggered almost daily, and at times more than once a day.

"Each time, the fire department responds to assess the situation—only to confirm there's no fire.

"Orbit recently gave the fire department the password to silence the alarm, but until then, the alarm would sound for hours throughout the flats and communal areas until a contractor could arrive to switch it off."

Part of the development remains unfinished just off King StreetPart of the development remains unfinished just off King Street (Image: Sonya Duncan)

However, Mr Ghiselli has warned that there is greater danger to people than just the annoyance of a sounding alarm.

He said: "The malfunctioning alarm has created a dangerous desensitisation effect—residents don’t evacuate when it goes off because it’s never a real fire.

"Should a real fire occur, people may stay in their flats, unaware of the true danger, with potentially tragic consequences."

Orbit bought the land for St Anne's Quarter in 2014 but part of the development remains unfinishedOrbit bought the land for St Anne's Quarter in 2014 but part of the development remains unfinished (Image: Denise Bradley) Orbit Housing Group said that the issues have arisen while contractors work to install an "enhanced" system.

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A spokesman for the said: "The safety of our customers is our utmost priority.

"We are in the process of installing an enhanced fire alarm system at St Anne’s Quarter and understand residents’ concerns about the false alarms that they have previously experienced as a result of this ongoing work.

"In collaboration with the fire service, we have recently agreed to some changes to our installation process which we are confident will lead to a significant reduction in these instances.

"We would like to thank customers for their patience during the transition to this new and improved system."