- .Sunlight reflected from skyscraper is causing heat damage below
- .Several panels of Jaguar XJ had buckled in glare in City of London
- .Others say their vehicles and bicycles have wilted in beam of light
- .Business owners say glare has started fires and caused damage
By SAM WEBB and MARK DUELL
Business owners and motorists today hit out at developers of a new skyscraper which they blame for starting fires and causing damage by reflecting the sun's rays.
The half-finished 37-storey tower in central London has been dubbed the ‘Walkie Scorchie’ due to its distinctive shape and apparent ability to bounce heat from the sun onto buildings in the next street.
Angry business owners in Eastcheap say the £200 million project has blistered paintwork, caused tiles to smash and singe fabric. A motorist has also said the intense heat melted part of his Jaguar.
Glare: People walk past bicycles in Eastcheap in the City of London, feeling the heat from the Walkie Talkie
Further damage: The seat of a bicycle parked near the building was also allegedly singed by the blinding light
Scorched: Men stand in the doorway of a barbers shop, which has a burn mark on the carpet in London. It was reported that the carpet was set alight from sunlight reflected by the Walkie Talkie tower
Blinding: The phenomenon takes place in the afternoon on bright days in the City of London
Developers called the problem with the building at 20 Fenchurch Street ‘a phenomenon’ and said they are ‘looking into the matter as a priority’. Cyclists have also reported scorched bicycle seats.
Ali Akay, of Re Style barber's, said the position of the sun at a certain time of the day caused a searing bolt of sunlight to start a small fire and burn a hole in his company doormat.
He said: ‘We were working and just saw the smoke coming out of the carpet. We tried to cut the fire down, there were customers in at the time and they were obviously not happy.
‘Customers are not going to come in if there is a fire in the front of the door.’
Burning: A bicycle seat (left) was left with what appeared to be a hole caused by glare from the Walkie Talkie
Up close: A camera man films broken slates outside a cafe in London. It was reported the tiles had shattered from sunlight reflected by the Walkie Talkie tower
Due to it's concave design, sunlight is reflected into a very localised point in the early afternoon
Precaution: Authorities have closed the City of London parking bays affected by the localised light
Mr Akay, 22, said they had spoken to the managers of 20 Fenchurch Street to find a solution.
'Customers are not going to come in if there is a fire in the front of the door'
Ali Akay, Re Style barber's
He said: ‘It is getting really serious. This is a health and safety issue. They should have looked into this before they built it.’
Colleague Ayca Juma, 29, said: ‘It's the Walkie Scorchie. That's what caused this.’
Next door at the Viet Cafe, Diana Pham, 25, said they had suffered similar problems.
My eyes! City workers out for a cigarette pull amusing expressions as they see the light
Investigation: The suspended parking bay where sun light reflected from the nearby Walkie-Talkie building on Fenchurch Street in the City of London, apparently melted part of a Jaguar car
Blinding: Martin Lindsay with his Jaguar XJ, which was damaged by bright light reflected down from the tower
Melted: The wing mirror after it was warped by the extreme heat on a road in the City of London
‘Yesterday it was very hot so there was a concentration of light here,' she said. 'We thought something was burning in the restaurant but it wasn't, we searched everywhere.
'Every bit of plastic on the left hand side and everything on the dashboard has melted, including a bottle of Lucozade that looks like it has been baked'
Eddie Cannon, van driver
‘Then a customer came in and showed us. A tile suddenly broke, the paint has bobbled too. This is a problem...it can be dangerous for people. But I don't know what they (the developers) can do about it.’
Motorists have reported problems, too. Local businessman Martin Lindsay told City A.M. his high-spec Jaguar XJ, parked on Eastcheap on Thursday afternoon, had warped panels along one side.
Damage: The building's unusual shape is reflecting ultra bright light onto Eastcheap in the City of London
Mystery: The building developers are investigating the bizarre phenomenon
'Burning plastic smell': The car was said to have been in the ray for just an hour but the panels were buckled
The wing mirror and badge had also melted from the heat of the reflection, he claimed.
'The phenomenon is caused by the current elevation of the sun in the sky'
Land Securities and Canary Wharf
Van driver Eddie Cannon, a heating and air conditioning engineer, told the newspaper: ‘The van looks a total mess.
'Every bit of plastic on the left hand side and everything on the dashboard has melted, including a bottle of Lucozade that looks like it has been baked.’
A joint statement from developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf said: ‘The phenomenon is caused by the current elevation of the sun in the sky.
Illuminating: A runner jogs past a patch of intense light on Cheapside
Media interest: A journalist walks past a hoarding showing the Walkie Talkie tower in the City of London
Even the fruit suffered: A damaged lemon is seen in the window of a barbers shop in the City of London
‘It currently lasts for approximately two hours per day, with initial modelling suggesting that it will be present for approximately two-to-three weeks.
‘As responsible developers we are making every effort to keep local businesses informed and we have communicated with them regularly since the issue first appeared.
‘While we investigate the situation further we have liaised with the City of London to suspend three parking bays in the area which may be affected.
‘In addition, we are consulting with local businesses and the City to address the issue in the short-term, while also evaluating longer-term solutions to ensure the issue cannot recur in future.’
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