A tenant evacuated from a building which was deemed ‘unsafe’ after large slabs of masonry fell into the street below says he warned Cornwall Council last year that it was in danger of collapsing.

Residents of flats in the Bodmin building, which is thought to date back to the 1700s, were forced to move out after police and firefighters dealt with the incident on Sunday (January 5).

A fire crew from Bodmin attended a call to the building on the junction of Crinnicks Hill and St Nicholas Street, known locally as the “Round House”, after masonry fell into the road and the structure appeared unstable. On arrival, crews confirmed the building was showing cracks and there were bulging walls. Firefighters closed the nearby roads for safety reasons.

All residents were evacuated and alternative accommodation was arranged for them. National Highways has set up diversions and a building surveyor has been asked to investigate the state of the building, which was once a popular sweet shop and before that was adjoined to the Grade II listed former George & Dragon pub, which ran from around 1830 to 2013.

Adam Brophy has lived in a one-bedroom flat in the building for seven years along with two cats and three snakes. He has been told he’s not allowed back into the property, but says he has to in order to feed his pets which are still inside. “The cats are freaking out in a bedroom at the moment – they’re my main concern.”

He said he warned Cornwall Council last year that the building was in danger but nothing was done. Mr Brophy said that his flat, which is owned by a private landlord but managed by the council, started shaking while builders were working in a neighbouring building. A crack appeared in a wall and a door would no longer fit its frame. “My flat actually moved,” he told us.

Holding large bits of masonry which fell to the ground from around his first floor window, Mr Brophy added: “This could have killed someone. I feel that the building’s going to go at some point. I warned the council the building was moving and damage was happening when builders were next door and no one listened. As you can see, they really should have listened to me because that’s going to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair.

“The road is going to be closed for God knows how long for the work to be done as it’s a Grade II listed building, so it will have to be put back to the way it was.” He said: “I’ve been put up by some friends on their sofa which isn’t ideal for me or my pets. There’s no place like home, as they say, and I just want to be in my home.”

Although Mr Brophy added that he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to move back into his flat as he feared for the safety of the building. He hopes the council will rehouse him.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said on Monday evening: “A surveyor from Cornwall Council Building Control has attended the site again today to assess the situation with the benefit of daylight to allow a more detailed inspection.

“As a result of this inspection, the structural issue appears localised and, as a result, we have been able to reopen the B3268. The bottom of Crinnicks Hill at the junction with the B3268 is likely to remain closed while the building’s owner arranges investigation and repair work.

“We have advised the occupants of the flats that they should not move back into the property until the building’s owner has commissioned a detailed assessment by a structural engineer and followed up on any necessary repairs. As the building is managed by our private lettings team, we have been in contact with the tenants to arrange alternative accommodation while further investigations are carried out.

“While we are unable to comment on individual circumstances, we will always follow up on concerns raised by tenants relating to the condition of properties we manage.”